Biden: US Will Use Force Against Iran ‘as Last Resort’ to Prevent Tehran From Acquiring Nukes
23:47 GMT 13.07.2022 (Updated: 17:26 GMT 15.01.2023)
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US President Joe Biden kicked off the first leg of his trip to the Middle East on Wednesday, arriving in Israel for a three-day visit that is set to include talks regarding Iran’s developing nuclear program and stalled indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The US would only authorize the use of force “as a last resort” in its campaign to prevent Iran from acquiring or developing nuclear weapons, US President Joe Biden told Israeli media on Wednesday.
“Iran cannot get a nuclear weapon,” Biden said to Channel 12’s Yonit Levi, hours before he boarded an aircraft for his trip to the Middle East.
The pre-taped interview was broadcast alongside the US president’s arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.
Biden went on to declare he believes the 2015 nuclear deal that then-President Trump withdrew the US from in 2018 should be resurrected because “the only thing more dangerous than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons.”
“They’re closer to a nuclear weapon now than they were before,” the US president said of Iran, noting that Trump’s decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was “a gigantic mistake” in terms of geopolitical strategy.
EXCLUSIVE @POTUS interview with @N12News: committed to keeping IRGC on the foreign terrorist organizations list even if it kills the deal; willing to use force “as last resort” pic.twitter.com/jWjLO0SVQz
— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) July 13, 2022
At the same time, Biden claimed the US’ return to a nuclear agreement like the Iran deal “is up to Iran now.”
Biden refused to disclose whether Israeli forces would be called to assist with any military action against Iranian nuclear sites.
The goal of the trip “is about stability in the Middle East,” Biden said, arguing that the US cannot simply walk away from the region and allow Russia and China to “fill the vacuum.”
“It is overwhelmingly in the US interest to have more stability in the Middle East,” Biden said.
12 July 2022, 02:14 GMT
He also emphasized it would be in Israel’s best interest to be “integrated in the region as an equal and accepted,” as this would likely open the door for “an accommodation with the Palestinians down the road.”
As for Saudi-Israeli relations, Biden admitted it will “take a long time,” but the two nations ultimately have to accept “each other’s presence” in the Middle East.
Biden reportedly received a briefing on the Iron Dome missile defense system, which is set to be upgraded with a new laser system.
Biden: The ‘Few’ Democrats Calling Israel an Apartheid State Are ‘Wrong’
Biden notably took shots at fellow Democrats during the interview, telling Levi that the members of his party who have been critical of the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinians were flat-out wrong.
“There are few of them. I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake,” the US president said. “Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend, and I think that I make no apologies.”
More from exclusive @POTUS interview with @N12News: voices in the Democratic Party calling Israel an apartheid state are “few, and they are wrong” pic.twitter.com/CkX3XRkRSL
— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) July 13, 2022
He added “there is no possibility” Democrats would turn their backs on Israel, adding that he has no shame and will not offer apologies for the billions of dollars in aid extended to the Jewish state.
Last year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) led a Democratic effort to block the $735 million sale of precision-guided munitions to Israel due to the bombing of Palestinian civilians and media centers, such as Israel’s May 2021 airstrike on a prominent Gaza building that housed Al Jazeera and Associated Press outlets.
AOC’s release on the matter noted that the Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMS, kits were being used in a regional conflict, “which has killed ten Israelis and over 200 Palestinians, including at least 58 children.”
