NEW YORK CITY – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Prime Minister Stephen Harper and praised Canada's decision to cut ties with Iran.

Netanyahu called the decision to cut ties "an act of moral clarity."

He went on to say it was "a clear decisive step that should set an example" to other nations.

Harper and Netanyahu met in a New York City hotel Friday morning.

Their meeting comes a day after Harper delivered a foreign policy speech to a human rights group and after Netanyahu spoke to the United Nations General Assembly.

Netanyahu referred to that speech in his meeting with Harper, saying: “We need to translate the principal of stopping Iran's nuclear program into practice."

Netanyahu also called Harper a “a great champion of freedom."

“Our country has not been shy about warning the world about the danger the Iranian regime represents to all of us,” said Harper.

Harper is set to return to Ottawa on Friday afternoon.