Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hopes other countries will follow the example set by Canada, which on Friday broke off diplomatic relations with Iran, as the international community looks to head off Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Praising the surprise move by Ottawa as a "clarion call to action," Netanyahu said world leaders must do more to condemn Iran's undertakings, including its threats against Israel.

"We have to build a wall, not of silence, but of condemnation and resolve. Canada just put a very big brick in that wall that is necessary for the peace of the world," he said.

Netanyahu made the comments in an exclusive interview with CBC's The National, which aired Sunday night.

Netanyahu added he is in talks with the U.S. about how further pressure can be appliedduring the summer, and Netanyahu has reportedly been pressuring Obama to establish a threshold for military action against Iran. The U.S. has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution.

Concerns have been mounting that Israel could attack Iran, looking to set back what is suspected to be the possible development of a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes.

A recent story in the New York Times said the Obama administration is taking "a range of steps short of war" to prevent such an attack. The U.S. military has a less distressed view of Iran than Israel's defence forces, with unclassified portions of the Pentagon's most recent report to Congress saying Iran's military strategy "remains focused on deterring an attack." However, the