President Joe Biden is reportedly ignoring Israel’s calls amid concerns over a possible nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has requested a meeting with Biden during his visit to the U.S. next month. Lapid has yet to be able to speak to the president since announcing that he would rework the decertified Obama-era Iran nuclear deal last July.
The White House cited Biden’s summer vacation for neglecting the Prime Minister’s calls, leaving many to believe that the president is intentionally ignoring Israel as the Biden administration is in bed with Iran in exchange for a deal on oil.
This comes after Defense Minister Benny Gartz called for upgrading military capabilities to face Iran in the event that a nuclear deal is signed.
“[Gantz] emphasized the importance of maintaining and advancing operation capabilities for both defensive and offensive purposes in [the] face of Iran’s nuclear program as well as its regional aggression,” the Defense Ministry stated. “This is regardless of the discussion surrounding the agreement.”
Biden has previously said that the U.S. would attack Iran as “a last resort,” which some view as stopping short of a credible military threat that would deter the Islamic nation from developing a nuclear weapon.
Earlier last month, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Telegram channel published a video titled “When Will Iran’s Sleeping Nuclear Warheads Awaken,” threatening to “build nuclear warheads” and turning New York City into “hellish ruins.”
“The short video declares that Iran’s regime will develop nuclear weapons in a rapid-fire period of time ‘if the US or the Zionist regime make any stupid mistakes,’” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Biden’s high-stakes Middle Eastern trip months ago has spurred bipartisan criticism from U.S. lawmakers, with many urging the president to put “maximum pressure” on Iran and keep Trump-era sanctions in place.
“Lifting these sanctions in exchange for short-term restrictions on Iran’s uranium-enrichment program will put money in the regime’s pockets that it will undoubtedly use for destructive purposes, just as it did following the 2015 deal. Biden’s pathetic embrace of failed agreements that enrich and empower our adversaries shows that he is a president to be taken advantage of,” said Jim Carafano, The Heritage Foundation’s vice president of foreign policy and national security.
