American support for Israel remains “ironclad,” US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told members of Israel’s parliament, despite deep differences between the nations on Iran, peace with the Palestinians and other issues.
Pelosi stuck to what the US and Israel have in common, particularly on their desires to rein in Iran’s nuclear capabilities and find a path toward peace with the Palestinians.
“The US remains ironclad, I keep using that word, in our support of Israel’s security and its regional stability,” Pelosi said with her counterpart, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, standing nearby.
The face-to-face diplomacy came at a tense time in the nations’ relationship as talks about a deal to rein in Iran’s nuclear capabilities drag on in Vienna.
US President Joe Biden campaigned on renewing and expanding the Iran nuclear deal after former President Donald Trump, with strong encouragement from then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, withdrew the United States in 2018.
Since then, the US has reimposed sanctions and Iran has stepped up its nuclear activities, amassing a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that goes well beyond the bounds of the accord.
Israel has said it will not be bound by any international agreement concerning Iran’s nuclear program, and says it is prepared to take military action if needed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms. Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Read the article in The Islander (AAP).