The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for ‘crippling sanctions’ against Iran to halt the country’s nuclear program.

"There is not much time" to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Netanyahu told reporters after talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday.

"I think the most important thing that can be put in place is what the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called crippling sanctions. It is possible to put real pressure, real economic pressure, on this regime if the major powers of the world unite," AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying.

The hawkish premier said that even if opposition from China and Russia prevents the UN Security Council from approving tougher sanctions against Tehran, a "coalition of the willing" could enact its own measures.

Merkel for her part said that if Iran failed to meet international obligations by next month, "more serious steps", including energy sanctions, would have to be considered.

Israel, which is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, accuses Iran of attempting to develop a military nuclear program – an allegation vehemently denied by Tehran.

Iran says that its nuclear program is solely aimed at peaceful application of the technology, specifying that it needs the power source for electricity generation to meet the country’s growing demand.

(Press TV and Agencies)