The US president and the Israeli prime minister believe that this stance will avoid an open conflict with Tehran
The president of the USA Joe Biden and the Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons, in a show of unity from allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.
This promise, which is part of the “Jerusalem Declaration” as the culmination of Biden’s first visit to Israel as president, it came a day after he told a local television network that he was open as a “last resort” measure to using force against Iran — apparently to meet Israel’s calls for a “credible military threat” from world powers.
“We will not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon,” Biden said at a news conference after signing the declaration.
“The United States emphasizes that an integral element of this pledge is a commitment that Iran will never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome,” the declaration said. .
Lapid called this stance a way to avoid open conflict.
“The only way to stop a nuclear Iran is if it Iran knows that the free world will use violence,” he said after the signing ceremony.
Speaking from his side, Biden said that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a “vital security interest for Israel and the United States and, I would add, for the rest of the world.”
In 2015, Iran signed an international agreement to limit its nuclear programs that could lead to the production of a nuclear bomb. In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, calling it inadequate, a withdrawal welcomed by Israel.
Iran has since stepped up some nuclear activities, putting a deadline on international powers’ bid to return to a deal at the Vienna talks. Israel now says it would support a new deal with tougher terms. Iran reacts to new restrictions.
Biden has been pushing for a return to talks but said it was up to Iran to respond. “We won’t wait forever,” he said.
Biden told reporters that he and Lapid also discussed how important it is “for Israel to be fully integrated into the region.” Lapid, for his part, estimated that Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia is “extremely important for Israel”.
The Jerusalem Declaration further binds the USA and Israel in cooperation on defense programs such as laser interception systems, as well as technologies for peaceful purposes.
The US is open to future defense aid to Israel, the statement said, reaffirming Washington’s interest in reviving talks on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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