Biden calls for forming anti-Iran alliance following Lapid meeting
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US President Joe Biden assures the Israeli occupation that it would be safer with a new Iran nuclear deal and calls for forming an anti-Tehran alliance in the region.
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US President Joe Biden greeted by Israeli occupation PM Yair Lapid at Ben Gurion Airport, Al-Lydd, occupied Palestine, July 13, 2022 (AP)
US President Joe Biden discussed with caretaker Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid means of integrating "Tel Aviv" in the region, according to a statement following a meeting with the premier.
"At the conclusion of his meeting with Lapid, Biden stated that they spoke of ways to integrate the Israeli occupation into the region and his adherence to his security," Israeli KAN broadcaster reported.
The Israeli leader, on the other hand, said he spoke with Biden about "the Iranian threat, and we believe that this matter is not only a matter of concern for Israel, but the world as a whole [...] there will be no nuclear Iran."
"We spoke about Saudi Arabia and the importance of forming a regional coalition to counter Iran," Lapid added.
Iranian Shura Council Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Tuesday that the expansion of NATO toward the east and its neglect of geopolitical consequences has caused the war to erupt in Ukraine, pointing out that this scenario is now being repeated in West Asia.
A few days prior to this statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that "the plans of the US and Israel to conclude a joint military agreement with Arab countries will only increase tension in the region," stressing that "this issue is provocative, and Iran views these statements as a threat to its national security and the security of the region."
"The United States and the fake Zionist entity seek to destabilize the region," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in late June, noting that their plans of establishing an Arab-Israeli coalition were "a mere illusion, and those who stand behind it have other goals, such as selling arms in the region."
The Israeli official also stressed his disapproval of Washington's return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, calling on his western ally to pressure Tehran into returning to the negotiations table to work out an "alternative agreement".
'Israel' safer with new Iran nuclear deal
President Biden, in a bid to assure his allies in the Israeli occupation regarding their concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities, said he would use force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and pledged not to give in to the Islamic Republic's key demands.
"If that was the last resort, yes," Biden said upon being asked if he would use force against the Islamic Republic to stop it from further developing its nuclear program.
Former US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018 rendered "Israel" more vulnerable, Biden argued. It will be safer with a renewed agreement, he added.
"The only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons, and if we can return to the deal, we can restrict them," Biden told Israeli Channel 12. "I think it was a gigantic mistake for the last president to get out of the deal. They're closer to a nuclear weapon now than they were before."
Major powers and Iran were holding talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement and returning the United States to it following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who accompanied his decision with the imposition of harsh sanctions on Tehran.
The negotiations are yet to yield a deal, and Biden wants to ensure that Washington, "Tel Aviv", and Riyadh are on the same page on Tehran if the Iran nuclear talks fail, The New York Times said, noting that the US President is hoping the talks succeed.
"I still think it makes sense," he said. "We've laid it out on the table, we've made the deal, we've offered it, and it's up to Iran now."
Biden is likely to face questions from the Israeli occupation and Gulf states, namely Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, about the wisdom of Washington's attempts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid have been reportedly discussing signing an accord that will see the two upping the commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and carrying out "destabilizing activities", a senior US administration official said Thursday.
The signing of the agreement will take place during Biden's visit to occupied Palestine, the first leg of his West Asia tour. He arrived at Al-Lydd's Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, where he was received by high-ranking Israeli officials on his first official visit to occupied Palestine as President. He is scheduled to meet with Lapid and other senior Israeli officials on Thursday.
The tour will see the US leader try and mend ties with Saudi Arabia to persuade Riyadh and other Gulf allies to pump out more oil in the markets as the Biden administration faces mounting criticism over the soaring oil prices.
"This declaration is pretty significant, and it includes a commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and to address Iran's destabilizing activities, particularly threats to Israel," the official revealed.
The new declaration signed between Washington and "Tel Aviv" would emphasize the former's support for the normalization process with the Israeli occupation and expanding the occupation's colonial objectives in the region.
