Washington, D.C. As Tehran maintains its ruthless crackdown in response to widespread protests organised by young Iranians and U.S. efforts to restore the Iran nuclear deal fail, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned President Joe Biden on Wednesday of an increasing Iranian “threat.”
Herzog began a meeting with Biden in the Oval Office by noting that Mahsa Amini had died in Iranian security detention 40 days prior, which had sparked nationwide demonstrations.
Additionally, he mentioned that Iran was “leaning toward” developing nuclear weapons and made a reference to the fact that Tehran had given Russia drones that were “killing innocent citizens in Ukraine.”
Thousands of Iranian individuals, both young men and women, who are protesting and merely appealing for their own liberties are currently being suppressed by the Iranian regime, Herzog claimed. “I believe that the Iranian challenge will be a significant problem that we are talking about.
Israeli officials have told Biden that renewing the 2015 nuclear agreement would destabilise the region and not prevent Tehran from reaching its nuclear objectives. The Biden administration, however, until recently seemed determined to bring back the deal, which would provide Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear program to the limits it set.
But the administration has sounded increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for the deal in recent weeks as Iran has shipped drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine and as it has responded with brutality to the women-led protests against the Islamic government that erupted more than a month ago.
White House representatives have recently stated that they are looking to assist the demonstrators who have taken to the streets and are not now focusing on negotiating with Iran.
The protests are the longest-lasting in more than a decade against the Islamic administration. They began when Amini was jailed by morality police this month for failing to properly cover her hair with the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, which is required for Iranian women. Amini, 22, passed away three days after collapsing at a police station.
In his brief remarks to media prior to his meeting with Herzog, Biden made no mention of Iran.
He thanked Israel on an upcoming Thursday signing of a maritime border agreement with Lebanon.
The deal, which was reached after months of negotiations mediated by the United States, represents a significant improvement in ties between Israel and Lebanon, which have been officially at war since Israel’s establishment in 1948. For the advantage of both nations, the agreement calls for the development of energy fields.
“I think it’s a historic breakthrough,” Biden said.
It took a lot of bravery for you to take the initiative and do it.
During his brief stay in Washington, Herzog met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
“We are standing together against the dangerous, destabilizing and terrorizing actions that Iran is taking in the region and, as you’ve noted, well beyond the region,” Blinken said during his appearance with Herzog.
Herzog’s trip coincides with a rise in violence in the West Bank.
Israeli forces reportedly engaged in a shootout and destroyed a bomb lab during a raid on an armed group’s base on Tuesday in the second-largest city in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, there were five Palestinian fatalities and twenty injuries.
As Israel gets ready to commemorate its 75th anniversary of founding next year, congressional leaders have invited Herzog to speak during a joint session of Congress. Herzog’s address has no specific date as of yet.
On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was declared. The following day, President Harry S. Truman acknowledged the new country.
In a letter extending the invitation, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two nations have shared “an unbreakable bond rooted in common security, shared values, and friendship. ”.
Israel’s Herzog alerts Biden of an impending “challenge” from Iran.
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