Obama says he's not bluffing on Iran nukes Obama asks, "Do we want a distraction" that helps Iran? The president is set to meet with Netanyahu "It's unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Obama says (CNN) -- President Barack Obama says he isn't bluffing when he says Iran shouldn't have a nuclear weapon, but he cautions against a premature Israeli strike against the Islamic republic. "At a time when there is not a lot of sympathy for Iran and its only real ally, (Syria,) is on the ropes, do we want a distraction in which suddenly Iran can portray itself as a victim?" he said this week in an interview with the Atlantic. Obama, who will be meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, said a permanent solution is necessary. The only way historically that a country has ultimately decided not to get nuclear weapons without constant military intervention has been when they themselves take (nuclear weapons) off the table. That's what happened in Libya, that's what happened in South Africa," Obama said. Obama said Iran and Israel understand that he isn't bluffing about his opposition to an Iranian nuclear weapon. "I think that the Israeli government recognizes that, as president of the United States, I don't bluff," he said. I also don't, as a matter of sound policy, go around advertising exactly what our intentions are. But I think both the Iranian and the Israeli governments recognize that when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say.  Obama said he's not going to take "any option off the table and will pressure Iran until it "takes a different course." He stressed the importance of political, diplomatic, and economic sanctions against Iran. He said the West has a "sanctions architecture that is far more effective than anybody anticipated" and tough sanctions "put a world of hurt on them." "Preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon isn't just in the interest of Israel, it is profoundly in the security interests of the United States," he said. Obama emphasized the risks of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. He said it would "run completely contrary to my policies of nonproliferation." The risks of an Iranian nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorist organizations are profound. It is almost certain that other players in the region would feel it necessary to get their own nuclear weapons," Obama said. So now you have the prospect of a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world, one that is rife with unstable governments and sectarian tensions. And it would also provide Iran the additional capability to sponsor and protect its proxies in carrying out terrorist attacks because they are less fearful of retaliation. Obama was asked about two differing assessments of Iran. Netanyahu said three years ago it's being led by a "messianic apocalyptic cult." Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the leadership is "rational." The interviewer, Jeffrey Goldberg, asked where Obama fell "on this continuum." "There is no doubt they are isolated," the president said. They have a very ingrown political system. They are founded and fueled on hostility towards the United States, Israel and, to some degree, the West. And they have shown themselves willing to go outside international norms and international rules to achieve their objectives. All of this makes them dangerous. They've also been willing to crush opposition in their own country in brutal and bloody ways. I think it's entirely legitimate to say that this is a regime that does not share our worldview or our values. I do think, and this is what General Dempsey was probably referring to, that as we look at how they operate and the decisions they've made over the past three decades, that they care about the regime's survival. They're sensitive to the opinions of the people and they are troubled by the isolation that they're experiencing. Obama said Netanyahu has a "profound responsibility to protect" Israelis, given the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. "I think it's important to recognize, though, that the prime minister is also head of a modern state that is mindful of the profound costs of any military action, and in our consultations with the Israeli government, I think they take those costs, and potential unintended consequences, very seriously," Obama said. Obama has been criticized by some for not adequately supporting Israel's security interests, but he said, "we've never had closer military and intelligence cooperation." When you look at what I've done with respect to security for Israel, from joint training and joint exercises that outstrip anything that's been done in the past, to helping finance and construct the Iron Dome program to make sure that Israeli families are less vulnerable to missile strikes, to ensuring that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge, to fighting back against delegitimization of Israel, whether at the (U.N.) Human Rights Council, or in front of the U.N. General Assembly, or during the Goldstone Report, or after the flare-up involving the flotilla -- the truth of the matter is that the relationship has functioned very well," Obama said. "Flotilla" was a reference to Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine people dead. The Goldstone Report was a controversial assessment of Israel's Gaza offensive. There have been reports of friction between Obama and Netanyahu. The president was asked if they are friends and talk about matters other than business. The prime minister and I come out of different political traditions. This is one of the few times in the history of U.S.-Israeli relations where you have a government from the right in Israel at the same time you have a center-left government in the United States, and so I think what happens then is that a lot of political interpretations of our relationship get projected onto this," he said. Obama said he and Netanyahu "can be very frank with each other, very blunt with each other, very honest with each other." For the most part, when we have differences, they are tactical and not strategic. Our objectives are a secure United States, a secure Israel, peace, the capacity for our kids to grow up in safety and security and not have to worry about bombs going off, and being able to promote business and economic growth and commerce.