JERUSALEM: President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States “will not wait forever” for Iran rejoined a non-working nuclear deal, a day after saying he was ready to use force as a last resort against Tehran if necessary.
Biden made the comment at a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid following a one-on-one talks in which they discussed Iran’s rapidly evolving nuclear program.
“We have set out for the Iranian leadership what we are willing to accept to return to the JCPOA. We are waiting for their response. When that will come, I’m not sure,” Biden said, using the acronym for the Iran nuclear deal. “But we won’t wait forever.”
Restore the nuclear deal brokered and abandoned by the Obama administration Donald Trump 2018 was a top priority for Biden when he first took office. But administration officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the possibility of Iran returning to compliance.
Earlier, on Thursday, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Lapid discussed Iran’s rapidly progressing nuclear program, with the Israeli leader later vowing that “there will be no nuclear Iran”.
The US president, who will visit Saudi Arabia on Friday, said he also emphasized to Lapid the importance of Israeli become “fully integrated” in the region.
Their one-on-one talks are at the heart of Biden’s 48-hour visit to strengthen the already close relationship between the US and Israel. The leaders also issued a joint statement emphasizing military cooperation and their commitment to preventing Iran, which Israel considers an enemy, from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“We discussed the threat from Iran,” Lapid told reporters afterward. “There will be no nuclear Iran.”
Israeli officials have sought to use Biden’s first visit to the Middle East as president to emphasize that Iran’s nuclear program has progressed too far and to encourage the Biden administration’s efforts to restore the deal. 2015 with Iran to limit its development.
Restoring the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the Barack Obama administration and abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 was a top priority for Biden when he took office. However, administration officials have grown increasingly pessimistic about the chances of Tehran returning to compliance.
In the joint statement, the United States said it was ready to use “all elements of its national power” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
Biden, in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired on Wednesday, gave strong assurances of his determination to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, saying he was ready to use weapons. force as a “last resort” if necessary.
Last week, Iran announced that it had enriched uranium to 60% purity, a technical step up from weapons-grade quality.
The joint statement released on Thursday could be of symbolic importance given Mr Biden’s meeting this weekend with Saudi leaders as he seeks to forge a region-wide coalition against back to Iran.
“I talked about the importance of…for Israel to fully integrate in the region,” Biden said after a face-to-face meeting with Lapid.
Biden made the comment at a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid following a one-on-one talks in which they discussed Iran’s rapidly evolving nuclear program.
“We have set out for the Iranian leadership what we are willing to accept to return to the JCPOA. We are waiting for their response. When that will come, I’m not sure,” Biden said, using the acronym for the Iran nuclear deal. “But we won’t wait forever.”
Restore the nuclear deal brokered and abandoned by the Obama administration Donald Trump 2018 was a top priority for Biden when he first took office. But administration officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the possibility of Iran returning to compliance.
Earlier, on Thursday, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Lapid discussed Iran’s rapidly progressing nuclear program, with the Israeli leader later vowing that “there will be no nuclear Iran”.
The US president, who will visit Saudi Arabia on Friday, said he also emphasized to Lapid the importance of Israeli become “fully integrated” in the region.
Their one-on-one talks are at the heart of Biden’s 48-hour visit to strengthen the already close relationship between the US and Israel. The leaders also issued a joint statement emphasizing military cooperation and their commitment to preventing Iran, which Israel considers an enemy, from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“We discussed the threat from Iran,” Lapid told reporters afterward. “There will be no nuclear Iran.”
Israeli officials have sought to use Biden’s first visit to the Middle East as president to emphasize that Iran’s nuclear program has progressed too far and to encourage the Biden administration’s efforts to restore the deal. 2015 with Iran to limit its development.
Restoring the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the Barack Obama administration and abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 was a top priority for Biden when he took office. However, administration officials have grown increasingly pessimistic about the chances of Tehran returning to compliance.
In the joint statement, the United States said it was ready to use “all elements of its national power” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
Biden, in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired on Wednesday, gave strong assurances of his determination to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, saying he was ready to use weapons. force as a “last resort” if necessary.
Last week, Iran announced that it had enriched uranium to 60% purity, a technical step up from weapons-grade quality.
The joint statement released on Thursday could be of symbolic importance given Mr Biden’s meeting this weekend with Saudi leaders as he seeks to forge a region-wide coalition against back to Iran.
“I talked about the importance of…for Israel to fully integrate in the region,” Biden said after a face-to-face meeting with Lapid.
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