WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- White House press secretary Jay Carney Friday disputed remarks by Mitt Romney, countering U.S. relations with Israel have "never been closer."
During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday, the GOP presidential nominee accused Obama of throwing allies like Israel "under the bus."
When asked during his daily briefing about Romney's comment, Carney said he hasn't spoken with Obama about "any of the remarks at the convention in Tampa" but "I can simply say that, under President Obama, cooperation with Israel between our military and intelligence communities has never been closer, assistance provided to Israel by the United States has never been greater than it has been under President Obama. We have an extremely close relationship with Israel, which is appropriate given our unshakable commitment to Israel's security."
Carney also reaffirmed the president's commitment to preventing Iran from creating nuclear weapons.
"It is the president's firm commitment that we must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," he said, adding that "the opportunity to achieve that goal remains available, that window remains open. But it is absolutely the case that that window will not remain open indefinitely."
