In Jerusalem, Joe Biden pledges to do everything to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons
Joe Biden and Yaïr Lapid after the signing of the Jerusalem declaration on July 14, 2022. AP - Atef Safadi
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
The United States is ready to use "
all elements of its national power
" to prevent Iran from acquiring atomic weapons, underlines a declaration signed Thursday in Jerusalem by President Joe Biden and the Prime Minister Israeli Yair Lapid.
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On the second day of the visit of the American president to Israel, Joe Biden continues the diplomatic talks.
He notably participated in a virtual summit in a format called “I2U2” (in English), with the leaders of Israel, India, and the United Arab Emirates, a country which normalized its relations in 2020 with the Jewish state. .
Joe Biden also
spoke with Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
The two heads of state signed a document called "the declaration of Jerusalem".
This declaration sets in stone the commitment of the United States to guarantee the security of Israel.
Washington is committed to using "
all its power
" to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons, reports our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
.
Joe Biden loses patience
The American president has been very clear about this.
Joe Biden “
still favors the diplomatic solution with Iran
”.
Negotiations are underway between Tehran and the major powers to ensure that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program remains purely civilian.
But the head of the White House begins to lose patience.
He puts pressure.
The United States, he said, is “
not going to wait forever
” for Iran.
► To read also: Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia: reconciliation despite denials
For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister remains on the traditional line of his country.
Yaïr Lapid explains that “
the diplomatic solution will not stop the Iranian threat
”.
Israel “
must be strong
,” he said.
And the Jewish state is more so by being surrounded by allies in the region.
He is clearly reaching out to the Saudis.
And is counting on Joe Biden to extend the circle of normalization with Arab countries.
After a short visit to the Palestinian territories on Friday,
Joe Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia
, the final leg of his Middle East tour.
Tehran was quick to react.
In a televised speech during a trip to the west of the country, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Washington and its allies in the Middle East against any attempt to destabilize the region.
"
I declare to the Americans and their regional allies that the Iranian nation will not accept any insecurity and crisis in the region
," he said.
“
Any mistake in this region will be met with a firm and regrettable response.
»
Partnerships signed in agriculture and energy
In addition, during this visit by Joe Biden to Jerusalem, partnerships were announced between the United States, Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates in order to counter China's gigantic infrastructure projects.
These projects were presented during a meeting with Yaïr Lapid, and, by videoconference, with the leader of the Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“
The truth is that we must find a new way to work together in the face of the challenges we face
,” said Joe Biden, assuring that the four partners, under the name I2U2, were thinking about common infrastructure projects.
In the immediate future, the group has announced that the Emirates will invest two billion euros in agricultural projects in India, which will provide the land, while the Israeli and American private sectors will also be called upon.
Another project aims to install 300 megawatts (MW) of solar and wind power capacity in India.
(
With
AFP)
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United States
Israel
Joe Biden
Yair Lapid
Iran