WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he has "very real differences" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH'-hoo) over Iran and the need for more sanctions.
He's also defending his decision not to meet with Netanyahu during his upcoming Washington visit, which comes shortly before Israel's elections.


Obama spoke Monday at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN'-geh-lah MEHR'-kuhl). He says as much as he loves Merkel, if she was two weeks out from an election, she wouldn't have received a White House invitation either. But Obama says he suspects she wouldn't have asked for one.


Netanyahu plans to address Congress over his concerns about U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran. Obama says Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and others involved in the talks agree with him that more sanctions wouldn't make sense.


By The Associated Press