Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday lectured U.S. President Biden on the growing threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, warning that “diplomacy will not stop them.”
“The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program, the free world will use force,” Mr. Lapid said. “The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table.”
The Biden administration has been mired in months of stalled negotiations aimed at returning to an Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.
Critics argue that a return to the deal would be a mistake, given Iran’s increasing bellicose stance and their recent strides toward a nuclear weapon.
“The Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world, they will pay a heavy price,” Mr. Lapid said.
Mr. Lapid’s remarks accompanied the signing of a joint declaration between the U.S. and Israel emphasizing military cooperation to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
SEE ALSO: Biden says the U.S. won’t ‘wait forever’ for an Iran nuclear deal
Mr. Biden is on his first trip to the Middle East as president. It is his 10th visit to Israel during his political career.
Mr. Biden will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Friday and reiterate U.S. support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr. Biden will then travel to Saudi Arabia for a marque meeting in Jeddah with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other regional Arab leaders Friday evening.
The meeting with the crown prince will be closely monitored. During the 2020 campaign, Mr. Biden said the Saudis should become a “pariah” state after the crown prince and others were implicated in the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based dissident journalist and critic of the kingdom’s rulers.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.