Status: 07/14/2022 2:53 p.m
US President Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Lapid have agreed that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons. During his visit to Israel, Biden warned Tehran that US patience has limits.
According to US President Joe Biden, Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. “This is a vital security interest for both Israel and the United States. And I would add: also for the rest of the world,” Biden said after meeting Israel’s new Prime Minister Jair Lapid in Jerusalem. “I still believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this goal.”
US President relies on diplomacy
Biden was referring to his administration’s efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal. However, the US would “not wait forever for Tehran’s response to returning to a 2015 nuclear deal,” the US President said. “We have set out to the Iranian leadership what we are willing to accept in order to be reinstated in the JCPOA. We are awaiting their response. I’m not sure when that will come.”
US President Biden continues Middle East trip
Sophie von der Tann, ARD Tel Aviv, daily news at 12:00 p.m., July 14, 2022
“We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Biden said. Work will continue to counter other Iranian threats in the region. It is about support for terrorism, Iran’s ballistic missile program and the transfer of weapons to terrorists.
Israel insists on military threats
Israel is strictly opposed to reviving the nuclear deal that the US withdrew from under Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. Negotiations between Iran and the other contracting parties – China, Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia and the USA – are faltering.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Lapid, Iran can only be prevented from possessing nuclear weapons with a “credible military threat”. “The only thing that will stop Iran is the certainty that the free world will use force if the country continues to expand its nuclear program,” Lapid said. It shouldn’t be a bluff either.
New alliances sought with the Arab world
The new Israeli head of government expressed the hope that new opportunities for cooperation will emerge in the Middle East. “We are building an alliance of moderate countries that believe in peace and that believe our children deserve a chance at a better life,” Lapid said.
Biden will continue to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday. He reiterated the goal of Israel establishing diplomatic relations with other Arab states. “We will continue to build on the Abraham Accords, which I strongly support because they deepen Israel’s integration into the wider region and create enduring links for business, cooperation and tourism.”
As part of the so-called Abraham Agreements, several Arab states have now established relations with Israel, mediated by the United States. Accession by Saudi Arabia is currently considered unlikely. However, there is speculation that both countries could work together more closely, for example on security issues.