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Iran is working to “shorten the time” it will take to cross the red line in its nuclear fuel enrichment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told American Jewish leaders.

Netanyahu was speaking to a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Feb. 11 in Jerusalem.

The prime minister said Iran had yet to cross the “red line” in its nuclear fuel enrichment that would necessitate an attack on its enrichment facilities, but that Iran is working to “shorten the time it will take them to cross that line.”

“This has to be stopped in the interests of peace and security,” he said.

On Feb. 12, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that Iran is converting enriched uranium to reactor fuel, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Aside from Iran, Netanyahu said the two major security threats facing Israel are from the stockpile of chemical weapons in Syria, which could fall into the hands of terrorists, and the ongoing diplomatic stalemate with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu also said President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Israel will be “a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States.” — jta