Kerry, Netanyahu hold phone talk amid tension: report

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday, according to a local U.S. media report.

A senior State Department official, who declined to be identified, said that their discussion focused on the current state of the Iran talks, Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Washington and Kerry's concern about the financial plight of the Palestinian Authority, Sunday's New York Times reported.

The talk came just days before Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress at the invitation of Republican House Speaker John Boehner. Netanyahu, who is on his way to the United States, is expected to reiterate his objections to the negotiations over Iran 's nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Kerry slammed Netanyahu for his opposition to the ongoing talks, saying that the Israeli leader may has "a judgment that just may not be correct here."

The White House has said President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he is in Washington, D.C citing that the visit comes in too close proximity to Israeli elections. Endite