The chemistry between Netanyahu and Obama has never been good. It’s not a matter of personalities. It’s a clash of realities—the two men see the world differently. Obama believes the best way to protect Israel—and broader American interests—is to get a deal that will curtail Iran’s uranium enrichment, cut its stockpile of fuel, convert its facilities, and require intrusive daily inspections.  

In his unprecedented agreement to address Congress against the will of the White House, Netanyahu is placing Israel’s national security above his relationship with the U.S. president, who has shown him little respect in the past.

Selling nuclear diplomacy with Iran was perhaps the toughest job at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference this year -- second only to shepherding teenage attendees to the AIPAC selfie wall. Still, one gutsy former adviser to President Barack Obama decided to give it a shot -- and soon realized he might have been better off handing out selfie sticks.

Israeli social media exploded Wednesday and Thursday in reaction to a tweet by Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the prime minister attempted to shift focus from the findings of a state report on the country’s housing crisis to Iran’s nuclear program
 

The concert last Friday was the first by an American musician in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance sat in the front row, nodding their heads to renditions of tunes by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Mr. Belden’s own compositions. The Iranians who filled the 1,200-seat theater clapped and cheered. 

Representatives from 58 countries and international organizations, as well as 31 science ministers from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) states will meet in Tehran on Sunday. The meeting, hosted by the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, will continue until Tuesday.