US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the US is “not going to wait forever” for Iran to rejoin a dormant nuclear deal, a day after saying he'd be willing to use force as a last resort against Tehran if necessary.
Biden made the comments at a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid following one-on-one talks in which they discussed Iran's rapidly progressing nuclear programme.
“We've laid out for the leadership of Iran what we're willing to accept in order to get back into the JCPOA. We're waiting for their response. When that will come, I'm not certain," Biden said, using an acronym for the Iran nuclear deal. "But we're not going to wait forever."
Resurrecting the nuclear deal brokered by Barack Obama's administration and abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 was a key priority for Biden as he entered office. But administration officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the chances of Iran returning to compliance.
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday discussed Iran's rapidly progressing nuclear programme, with the Israeli leader vowing afterward that “there will be no nuclear Iran”.
The US president, who is set to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday, said he also stressed to Lapid the importance of Israel becoming “totally integrated” in the region.
Their one-on-one talks are the centrepiece of a 48-hour visit by Biden aimed at strengthening already tight relations between the US and Israel.
The leaders also issued a joint declaration emphasising military cooperation and a commitment to preventing Iran, which Israel considers an enemy, from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We discussed the Iranian threat,” 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 underscore that Iran's nuclear programme has progressed too far and encourage the Biden administration to scuttle efforts to revive a 2015 agreement with Iran to limit its development.
Resurrecting the Iran nuclear deal brokered by Barack Obama's administration and abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 was a key priority for Biden as he entered office. But administration officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the chances of getting Tehran back into compliance. In the joint statement, the US said it is 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, offered strong assurances of his determination to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, saying he'd be willing to use force as a “last resort” if necessary.
Iran announced last week that it has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade quality.