The United States and Israel are committed to preventing the Iranian regime from getting an atomic bomb, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday, at a time when both countries have expressed their differences over negotiating with Tehran over their nuclear program.
“On the most important issue, we agree. We are both committed, we are determined that Iran will never get a nuclear bomb,” Blinken told journalists in Jerusalem, along with his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, who expressed his country's “disagreements” with Washington over the possibility of reviving the 2015 international agreement on the nuclear program of Tehran.
The Israeli Foreign Minister argued that, amid its differences with Washington, Israel continues to maintain an “open and honest dialogue” with its closest ally on the Iranian nuclear issue. “Israel will do everything we think is necessary to stop the Iranian nuclear program. Anything. From our point of view, the Iranian threat is not theoretical. The Iranians want to destroy Israel. They won't make it. We will not allow it,” he said.
Iran has been participating in talks in Vienna for months to reactivate the agreement with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly. The United States, meanwhile, participates indirectly in the negotiations.
Israel inaugurated a historic summit on Sunday in which Blinken, and the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco will participate, with which the Israeli authorities signed agreements to normalize relations since the end of 2020.
Blinken has already delivered his first speech on Israeli soil to thank the Israeli Government for its initiatives on the war in Ukraine and its impact on the Middle East. “This is an area of the world where the US has vital interests and we will continue to strengthen relations to facilitate stability in the region,” he said.
Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco signed an agreement with Israel to restore their diplomatic relations within the framework of the so-called 'Abraham Agreements', promoted by then-US President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Israel sent for the first time a high-level military delegation to Morocco for bilateral talks.
Also, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a meeting last week with Emirati Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed and Egyptian President Abdelfatah al-Sisi in the Egyptian town of Sharm al-Sheikh. In recent months, Bennett and other senior Israeli officials have made trips to the countries that signed the agreements to strengthen relations.
For his part, Blinken will participate in the meetings as part of a tour that will take him to Israel and Palestine, where he will hold meetings with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Bennett and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, as confirmed on Thursday by the State Department.
According to the statement, the US Secretary of State “will underscore America's strong commitment to Israeli security, coordination over Ukraine and Iran, and will work to build on the achievements of the Abraham Accords,” while “reaffirming America's commitment to the 'two-state solution' and to greater freedom, security and prosperity for Palestinians and Israelis alike”.
(with information from AFP and EP)
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