Biden, Bennett concur that Iran will not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons 

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with U.S. President Joe Biden. One of the main topics, as expected, was Iran's nuclear program. They made statements on the topic that were similar to previous ones. The U.S. expects Iran to return to the nuclear negotiations

Biden, Bennett concur that Iran will not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons 

Photo: Avi Ohion, GPO

"President Biden and I are determined not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. I am happy that the two of us agreed on it. Our staffs will work on it in the coming days and weeks in order to develop cooperation channels. I must emphasize that there is not much time, the issue is urgent, and it should not be put aside," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a briefing to reporters following his meeting with President Biden on Friday at the White House.        

Following the meeting, in a post on Twitter, Biden said "We strengthened the enduring partnership between our two nations and underscored the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel’s security." The president told the prime minister that the U.S. is "putting diplomacy first" to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions "but if diplomacy fails, we're ready to turn to other options."

Reuters reported that there are differences of opinion on the issue of Iran, but the two leaders tried to publicly avoid them. Biden said he and Bennett discussed "our commitment to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon". According to reports by news agencies in Washington, during their private conversation, Bennett pressed Biden to toughen his approach toward Tehran and not to continue in the nuclear talks.      

"I was happy to hear your clear words that Iran will never be able to acquire nuclear weapons," Bennett told Biden, "and that you emphasized that you will try the diplomatic route, but there are other options if that doesn't work."

Reuters correspondents in Washington emphasized that Bennett has sought to distance himself from the "combative public style" of Benjamin Netanyahu and to manage disagreements behind closed doors. He told reporters that reporters that Israel has developed a "comprehensive strategy" to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to stop Iran's regional aggression.   

At the beginning of his remarks in the Oval Office, Bennett expressed his condolences on behalf of the people of Israel over the loss of American lives in Kabul, saying "May they rest in peace". Bennett thanked the president for his support of Israel, saying "you've always stood up for us, especially during tough times, like a few months ago, when thousands of rockets were being shot on Israeli towns and cities, and that's when friendship is really tested."

The prime minister emphasized that he had come to the meeting with "a new spirit, a spirit of goodwill, a spirit of hope, a spirit of decency and honesty, a spirit of unity and bipartisanship of folks who harbor very different political opinions, even opposing ones, yet we all share the deep passion to work together to build a better future for Israel."

Bennett also said "We're in the toughest neighborhood in the world. We've got ISIS on our southern border. Hezbollah on our northern border, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Iranian militias that surround us. All of them want to kill us, kill Israelis. They all want to annihilate the Jewish state. And that's why Israel always has to be overwhelmingly stronger than any of our enemies, and indeed, of all our enemies combined. That's why I want to thank you, Mr. President, for helping yet again to fortify Israel's strategic advantage."     

Bennett emphasized that "the main issue we're going to be talking about today here is Iran's race to a nuclear weapon," saying that "As we sit here right now, the Iranians are spinning their centrifuges in Natanz and Fordow. We have got to stop them, and we both agree about that. So we have developed a comprehensive strategy that we're going to be talking about with two goals. The first goal is to stop Iran’s regional aggression and start rolling it back into the box. And the second is to permanently keep Iran away from ever being able to break out to a nuclear weapon."

In addition, the prime minister mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting to President Biden that "we've reached almost two million Israelis that have received the booster shot". At the end of his remarks, Bennett told Biden that "you and I are going to write yet another chapter in the beautiful story of the friendship between our two nations, the United States of America and the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Both of us seek to do good and need to be strong; both of us are a lighthouse in a very, very stormy world."