US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told his Israeli counterpart that the Biden administration believes diplomacy is the best path to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, according to a White House statement. Dr. Eyal Hulata, Israel’s national security adviser, accompanied by an Israeli interagency delegation, met with Sullivan at the White House on Tuesday for a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group, attended by senior US and Israeli defense, military, intelligence and diplomatic officials.
“Mr. Sullivan emphasized President Biden’s fundamental commitment to Israel’s security and to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Mr. Sullivan explained that this administration believes diplomacy is the best path to achieve that goal, while also noting that the President has made clear that if diplomacy fails, the United States is prepared to turn to other options,” the statement said. “The National Security Advisers agreed to maintain an open and constructive dialogue, and to expand the close coordination between their respective interagency teams on vital issues impacting Israel’s national security and regional stability,” it also said.
A day earlier, an unnamed senior US official told journalists that the US is prepared to pursue other avenues to ensure that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapon if diplomacy fails.
Iran halted several months and six rounds of negotiations on reupping its nuclear deal with the world powers, which would have seen the United States rejoin the agreement it left in 2018, ahead of August’s election of hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi. But Iran reportedly has been putting out feelers recently that it is ready to restart the talks.