Boehner invites Israeli leader to address Congress on Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rebuffing President Barack Obama on Iran, House Speaker John Boehner said today he had invited Israel's prime minister to address a joint meeting of Congress next month about the threats from Tehran and radical Islam.

The Republican leader released a letter extending the invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu for Feb. 11. Boehner also told a private meeting of GOP lawmakers that Congress would move ahead on new penalties against Iraq despite Obama's warning that any legislation would scuttle diplomatic negotiations over the country's nuclear program.

"You may have seen that on Friday, the president warned us not to move ahead with sanctions on Iran, a state sponsor of terror," Boehner told colleagues. "His exact message to us was: 'Hold your fire.' He expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran.

"Two words: 'Hell no!' ... We're going to do no such thing," the speaker said.

The U.S. and other Western countries believe that Iran is intent on trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran claims its nuclear program is peaceful and exists only to produce energy for civilian use.

The high-stakes invitation came just hours after Obama, in his State of the Union address, told Congress that he would veto any sanctions legislation and he urged Congress to delay further penalties against Iran.