Summary

  • Mr Netanyahu addressed the US Congress about the threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme

  • The Israeli leader said: "Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted"

  • Congressmen and women rose to their feet several times to give him warm ovations

  • The invitation, made by House Speaker John Boehner, is seen as a rebuke to Mr Obama's threat to veto new sanctions on Iran

  • The US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China are currently working on an interim agreement with Iran for the end of March

  • All times in GMT

Live Reporting

Tim Swift, Taylor Kate Brown and Alison Daye

  1. Chemi Shalev, US Editor, Haaretz.com

    tweets: Rousing applause for Netanyahu who gives entrance to what seems like a State of the Union address (or State of Disunion?)

  2. Back home in Israel, Mr Netanyahu's speech is being broadcast on a five-minute delay, BBC Middle East correspondent Kevin Connolly writes, meant to guard against the possibility that the prime minister might be tempted to use this global stage as an electoral platform.

  3. The Israeli Prime Minister shakes hands with Republicans and Democrats as he makes his way to the podium.

  4. Orrin Hatch
    US senator

    tweet: Sen Hatch, filling the VP seat, will sit behind Prime Minister Netanyahu when he speaks to Congress. #StandWithIsrael

    Orrin Hatch

  5. Mr Netanyahu has just been introduced on the House floor.

  6. Jeremy Bowen
    BBC Middle East editor

    tweets: Members of Congress await #Netanyahu and so do we in the DC edit room. Billed as his most important speech ever.

  7. Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic Congressman from Oregon, told the BBC's Kim Ghattas why he's not going to the speech.

    "As soon as I found out the Republican leadership had invited Netanyahu in the middle of an Israeli election without consulting the administration and frankly with the determination to undercut negotiations on an agreement with Iran, I made it clear I was not going to dignify it with my presence."

  8. During his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Conference (Aipac) in Washington yesterday, Mr Netanyahu said his address to Congress was not intended to show disrespect to the US president.

    Data pic of Netanyahu quote

  9. More than 50 Democrats are expected to not attend the speech, with some decrying the invitation as partisan.

    Senator Al Franken told The Hill newspaper he was " uncomfortable being part of an event that I don't believe should be happening".

  10. Iran 'win-win'

    Nobody will be observing the media frenzy surrounding the speech with more interest, and with perhaps a certain amount of amusement, than the Iranians, writes BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. In the short term, he says, all of this is a win-win for Iran.

  11. Kim Ghattas
    BBC News, Washington

    tweets: "On @BBCWorld just spoke to Rep Charlie Rangel (D-NY). He changed his mind and will be attending Netanyahu speech after all."

    Ashley Semler photo from Capitol Hill

  12. The Israeli Prime Minister is in rare company for his third speech to both chambers of Congress.

    Netanyahu - Churchill

  13. The Israeli leader is at odds with the Obama administration's negotiations with Iran over their nuclear programme.

  14. The Israeli Prime Minister was invited to speak to Congress by House Speaker John Boehner, but he has also used his trip to deliver a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac)'s policy conference.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington 2 March 2015AP

  15. 'Rebuke'

    The invitation was made without White House input and is seen as a rebuke to President Barack Obama's threat to veto new sanctions on Iran.

  16. Mr Netanyahu is expected to address members of both chambers of the US Congress starting at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

  17. Hello and welcome to the BBC's live page coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress.