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Bibi on Iran: You take care of it, or we will (UPDATED)

By Ami Eden · April 1, 2009

Shortly before being sworn in as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu gave an hour interview to The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg.

The flashy headline: "Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will."

The spicey lede: "In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself."

The less sexy reality: This story's bark is worse than its bite (if you are looking for a major Bibi-Obama showdown).

After the big opening, Goldberg notes that Netanyahu is open to Obama's efforts at diplomacy -- and thinks sanctions can work:

Netanyahu said he would support President Obama’s decision to engage Iran, so long as negotiations brought about a quick end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “How you achieve this goal is less important than achieving it,” he said, but he added that he was skeptical that Iran would respond positively to Obama’s appeals. In an hour-long conversation, held in the Knesset, Netanyahu tempered his aggressive rhetoric with an acknowledgement that nonmilitary pressure could yet work. “I think the Iranian economy is very weak, which makes Iran susceptible to sanctions that can be ratcheted up by a variety of means.”

Bottom line: Read the full story for insight into Netanyahu's thinking on Iran.

UPDATE: Check out Ron Kampeas' post on whether Bibi actually said what the headline says he said.