US President Joe Biden says he was putting “diplomacy first” to try to rein in Iran’s nuclear program but if negotiations fail he would be prepared to turn to other unspecified options.
Biden was speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in White House talks on Friday, their first meeting since both took office and seeking to reset US-Israeli relations and narrow differences over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear developments.
But the meeting, was eclipsed by Thursday’s attack outside Kabul airport that killed at least 92 people, including 13 US service members, confronting Biden with the worst crisis of his young presidency.
In brief remarks before reporters were ushered out of the Oval Office, both leaders touched on Iran, one of the thorniest issues between the Biden administration and Israel, but mostly they papered over their disagreements.
Bennett, a far-right politician who ended Netanyahu’s 12-year run as prime minister in June, was expected to press Biden to harden his approach to Iran and back out of negotiations aimed at reviving an international nuclear deal with Tehran that Trump abandoned.
US-Iran negotiations have stalled as Washington awaits the next move by Iran’s new hardline president.
Bennett told reporters at the White House that Israel has developed a “comprehensive strategy” to keep Iran away from nuclear breakout and stop its “regional aggression.”
Alluding to Israel’s threats of military action and the billions of dollars in US military aid it receives, Bennett said: “We will never outsource our security. It’s our responsibility to take care of our fate, but we do thank you for the tools … you’ve been giving us.”
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