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Biden said he’s open to the possibility of using force with Iran
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid will sign a joint pledge Thursday to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This comes at the conclusion of a long debate between the two allies over diplomatic efforts with Tehran.
Biden, who is currently visiting Israel, said in an interview with Israeli television on Wednesday that he is “open to the option of the last resort, using force once morest Tehran,” in a clear step towards accepting Israel’s calls for international powers to wave a “strong military threat.”
For years, the United States and Israel have singled out the possibility of a pre-emptive strike once morest Tehran, which denies accusations of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
This change in the official rhetoric towards Tehran may enhance the sense of deterrence.
This American-Israeli pledge may give Biden a boost in his upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia, which will begin on Friday.
Riyadh has its own concern regarding Iran, and Biden hopes this will help bring regarding a Saudi-Israeli rapprochement under an American umbrella.
Biden told reporters following his meeting with Lapid, prior to signing the agreement, that he “sees great importance for Israel’s integration into the life of the region.”
Lapid believes that Biden’s visit to Riyadh is “extremely important for Israel.”
A senior US official said that the text of the agreement includes a commitment and commitment not to enable Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and a willingness to use “all the means at our disposal to ensure that.”
Iran had signed an international agreement in 2015, banning the implementation of nuclear projects that would enable it to produce nuclear weapons. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, which was welcomed by Israel at the time.
Iran began practicing nuclear activities since that time, as a way of alerting the international powers to its pledge to return to the Vienna talks.
Israel says it will support the signing of a new agreement with Tehran, on stricter terms.
Biden said in a statement to Israeli television, “The only thing worse than the current Iran, is Iran with nuclear weapons, and if we can return to the agreement, we will be able to control it.”
Some Israeli and Gulf officials believe that easing sanctions on Iran will make it able to support some of the allies in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. They doubt that the Biden administration will do much to counter Iran’s activities in the region.
Asked if Thursday’s statement was regarding buying time while the United States is negotiating with Tehran, a US official said: “If Tehran wants to sign the agreement, which was negotiated in Vienna, we have made it clear that we are ready for that. But if they refuse, we will be ready.” To increase sanctions and pressure, we will continue to isolate Iran diplomatically.”
A high-ranking Israeli official described waving the military threat as a way to avoid war.
“There is a guarantee of the effectiveness of diplomatic, judicial and legal efforts once morest Iran. Iran has proven that if it is subjected to sufficient pressure, it knows how to respond and change its position,” the Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Amir Eshel, told Israel’s Kan radio.