'Israel can and should do whatever they need' vis-a-vis Iran: US envoy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Feb 2023 12:13

US ambassador to "Israel" says that the US will support "Tel Aviv" in whatever they need to prevent Iran from allegedly obtaining a nuclear weapon.

US Ambassador to "Israel," Thomas Nides, speaks at the annual National Leadership Mission of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in Al-Quds, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 (AP).

The Iran indirect nuclear deal talks remain on hold, according to US Ambassador to "Israel" Tom Nides, since the US revealed that it would not be engaged in any talks with Iran as long as Teheran continues to provide Russia with drones, over allegations that Iranian drones have been used in the conflict in Ukraine.

US Amb. to Israel: #Iran nuclear deal is on ice; US will not indirectly negotiate with Iran while it supplies #Russia drones for use in the war in #Ukraine.

"#Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal with and we’ve got their back."https://t.co/7c9AS0B79w
— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) February 19, 2023

Nides claimed in an address to the National Leadership Mission of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Al-Quds that “the Iranians are providing drones to Russia and those drones are killing innocent Ukrainians. There is no chance today of us going back to the negotiating table."

The US ambassador also said that first and foremost, and as US President Joe Biden stated, "we will not watch" while Iran acquires "a nuclear weapon".

Second, Nides proclaimed that "all options are on the table" adding that "'Israel' can and should do whatever they need to deal with and we’ve got their back.”

According to the ambassador, “the cooperation between 'Israel' and the US vis-à-vis Iran is lockstep. Every day.”

IOF Navy raises state of alert in Red Sea over Iran attack scare

The Israeli Navy has increased its state of alert in the Red Sea amid fears that Iran would conduct a maritime attack on ships that belong to Israeli businessmen, Israeli Walla! news website reported on Sunday.

The Israeli website claimed that Iranians attacked last week a ship owned by Eyal Ofer, the chairman of Zodiac Maritime, an international ship management company, almost a month after the UAV attack that targeted the Iranian city of Isfahan.

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously addressed the incident, saying "Iran is behind an attack against an oil tanker in Gulf waters last week," Reuters news agency reported.

Israeli military correspondent and defense analyst Amir Bohbot said that over the past year, "The Iranians have bolstered their presence in the Red Sea."

This issue "is prompting concerns in the Israeli security establishment, as well as other parties that perceive the Red Sea as strategically important."

Israeli Channel 12's news website considered that since the series of assassinations of senior Iranian scientists until the drone attack on the factory in Isfahan, Iran had been trying to avenge these operations.

But now, Tehran is trying to establish a response equation, but through a slightly different method, claiming that this is the fifth time that Iranian forces have attacked ships related to "Israel".

In the past, according to Channel 12, Tehran tried to attack ships that it knew were Israeli in retaliation to alleged Israeli attacks on Iranian ships. However, the Iranians now decided to change the equation and attack Israeli ships in response to ground attacks.