US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid will sign a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons, closing ranks after long-running disputes between the allies over global diplomacy with Tehran.
Biden, who is visiting Jerusalem, told Israeli TV on Wednesday he was open to “last resort” use of force against Iran – an apparent move toward accommodating Israel’s calls on world powers to present a “credible military threat”.
The United States and Israel have separately made veiled statements about possible pre-emptive war with Iran – which denies seeking nuclear arms – for years. Formally articulating the rhetoric could enhance the sense of deterrence and resolve.
The show of Israel-US commitment may also offer Biden a boost when he continues on to Saudi Arabia on Friday. Riyadh has its own Iran worries, and Biden hopes to parlay that into an Saudi-Israeli rapprochement under US auspices.
Meeting Lapid ahead of the signing ceremony, Biden told reporters they had discussed “how important it was, from my perspective, for Israel to be totally integrated into the region”.
Lapid deemed Biden’s Saudi trip “extremely important to Israel”.
There was no immediate comment on the planned Jerusalem declaration from Tehran.
A senior US official said the text would contain “a pledge and a commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and that we’re prepared to use all elements of our national power to ensure that outcome”.
Read the article by Steve Holland in the Katherine Times.