Kerry and Netanyahu Emphasize the Need to Prevent Iran's Negative Actions in the Region

On Tuesday, September 17, the U.S. State Department announced that John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the need to prevent "Iran's destabilizing actions in the region" during a phone call. According to Reuters, the statement from the U.S. State Department, released on Tuesday, noted that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, reaffirmed America's commitment to ensuring Israel's security during a phone call with Netanyahu over the past weekend. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, explained that Kerry and Netanyahu stressed the necessity of "continuing to prevent Iran's destabilizing actions in the region" during their conversation. This statement was released on a day when the number of Democratic senators supporting the Islamic Republic's nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group reached 42. This number of supporters is sufficient for President Barack Obama to no longer need to use his veto power for final approval. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly opposed the nuclear agreement from the outset, repeatedly calling it a "historic mistake." These oppositions have created a rift between the U.S. and Israeli governments that had not been evident in recent years. Additionally, according to the U.S. State Department spokesperson on Tuesday, two senior officials from the U.S. and Israel discussed other regional issues, including Russia's "potential military presence" in Syria. The U.S. State Department had previously announced that Secretary Kerry expressed his concerns about reports of Russian military movements in Syria during a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday, September 14.