House Speaker John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress next month as lawmakers weigh legislation that would tighten sanctions on Iran.
Netanyahu plans to accept the invitation, according to an Israeli government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The invitation to Netanyahu came hours after President Barack Obama said in his annual State of the Union address that he would veto any bill that increases penalties on Iran because such legislation risks collapsing international talks aimed at curbing the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.