President Barack Obama has said the United States has significant capabilities to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and he was keeping all options on the table.

“We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon but obviously we don’t want to cut it too close,” Obama said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 television, aired on Thursday before a visit due next week.

“What I’m consulting with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), as I have over the last several years on this issue, my message to him will be the same as before. If we can resolve it diplomatically that’s a more lasting solution, but if not I continue to keep all options on the table,” he said.

Iran denies it is seeking a bomb and says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.

Obama’s first presidential visit to Israel comes at the onset of spring – the “red line” previously set by Netanyahu for attacking Iran’s nuclear sites. Netanyahu has called on the United States to set a similar deadline.

Asked if he would order an attack on Iran should diplomacy fail, Obama said: “When I say that all options are on the table, all options are on the table.

“The United States obviously has significant capabilities but our goal here is to make sure that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel or could trigger an arms race in the region.”

This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.

This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.

With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a matched gift today.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT