Story highlights Trump and Netanyahu spoke Monday

They discussed Iran and anti-Semitism

(CNN) President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Iran and the Trump administration's response to a recent spate of anti-Semitic threats and vandalism in a phone call on Monday, a White House official told CNN.

The conversation comes in the midst of a series of threats of violence and vandalism against Jewish community centers and schools in the US. The White House official said Netanyahu thanked Trump for "his strong stand against anti-Semitism in his joint address."

After failing to quickly and publicly decry the anti-Semitic attacks in a series of public appearances, Trump opened his joint address to Congress by mentioning the threats and vandalism against Jewish cemeteries.

"We may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms," Trump said.

Netanyahu's office said Monday that the two leaders "spoke at length about the dangers posed by the nuclear deal with Iran and by Iran's malevolent behavior in the region" and pledged to work together to counter Iran.

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