US President, Joe Biden has pledged that the US might use its military to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Biden made the declaration with Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday, July 14 during the second day of his visit to Israel .
The US and Israel have long accused Iran of state-sponsored terrorism in the Middle East. Iran provides funding, training and weapons to Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement, and the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
Iran denies that it sponsors terrorism and says the organisations it backs are resistance groups fighting Israeli and US aggression.
Israel considers the Iranian nuclear programme to be its greatest threat, as the Iranian regime sees Israel as an illegitimate nation, though Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
On Thursday, Biden outlined a series of strategic commitments underpinning the US relationship with Israel – its closest regional ally in a document known as the Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 TV , Mr Biden also said the US would be prepared to use force against Iran “if that was the last resort”.
He said the US was “prepared to use all elements of its national power” to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
While the US and Israel have repeatedly said they would never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, Joe Biden’s administration would rather get a nuclear deal with Iran through diplomacy although months-long talks aimed at getting a nuclear agreement back on track have stalled.
Israel wants Iran’s nuclear programme stopped altogether and has said it reserves the right to use force if it has to.
Biden was asked about voices in the Democratic Party who describe Israel as an apartheid state and call for an end to unconditional American military aid. Biden said those views were “few and wrong”, adding that there was no possibility of his party walking away from Israel.
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