WASHINGTON — Defying President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner announced on Wednesday that he’s invited Israel’s prime minister to stand before Congress and push for new sanctions against its archenemy Iran.

Boehner’s decision to bring Benjamin Netanyahu before a joint meeting of Congress on Feb. 11 seemed to catch the White House by surprise. And it added fuel to a drive by lawmakers from both parties to pass legislation calling for fresh penalties if there is no deal soon to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

Barely sworn in, the new Republican-controlled Congress is already on a collision course with Obama over a major foreign policy issue. Obama has threatened to veto any new sanctions legislation, saying it could scuttle ongoing nuclear talks with Iran and heighten the risk of a military showdown.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday quoted an unidentified Israeli intelligence official as saying that adding sanctions now “would be like throwing a grenade into the process.”

But Boehner is not backing down. He told a private meeting of GOP lawmakers that Congress would proceed on further penalties against Iran despite Obama’s warning.