President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a new joint declaration expanding the security relationship between the United States and Israel on Thursday.
A senior White House official told reporters on a conference call that the pledge will include reaffirming a commitment to block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“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 senior White House official said.
The joint pledge will also note the United States’ and Israel’s ongoing support for a memorandum of understanding that was finalized when Biden was vice president under former President Barrack Obama.
“The declaration will also emphasize support for the Abraham Accords and expanding Israel’s integration into the region, which of course is a theme of this trip,” the senior White House official said.
“And it will reiterate our shared concerns about a number of global challenges, from food security, to the situation in Ukraine, and of course, support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the official added.
Iran Nuclear Deal
In an interview with Israeli media, which was recorded before he left Washington on Tuesday but aired on Wednesday, Biden said he would keep Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list even if that killed off the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as he began a trip to the Middle East.
Asked if his past statements that he would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon meant he would use force against Iran, Biden replied: “If that was the last resort, yes.”
“The only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons,” the president said.
Biden’s 1st Visit to Middle East as President
Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday on his first Middle East trip as president, but his 10th overall.
