Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the US and Israel are committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, despite the partners' disagreements over discussions with Tehran.
Blinken made the remarks in Jerusalem alongside his Israeli colleague, Yair Lapid, who told reporters that Israel and the US had "disagreements" over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
President Joe Biden's administration, according to Blinken, believes that "returning to full implementation" of the agreement is "the best way to put Iran's program back in the box that it was in but has escaped since the United States withdrew from the agreement" under former President Donald Trump in 2018.
"When it comes to the most crucial issue," Blinken said, "(Israel and the US) see eye to eye." We are both dedicated to ensuring that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon."
Despite its differences with Washington, Lapid stated that Israel continues to engage in "open and honest communication" with its closest friend on the Iran nuclear problem.
"Israel will do whatever we believe is necessary to put an end to Iran's nuclear development." Anything. The Iranian threat, in our opinion, is not hypothetical. Iran is hell-bent on annihilating Israel. They will fail miserably. "We will not allow it," Lapid stated.
At the weekend, the European Union's foreign policy leader stated that a deal with Iran, known as the Joint Collective Plan of Action, will most likely be implemented.
