US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed - on Sunday - that his country and Israel are "committed" to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, despite their dispute over reviving the nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic.
"When it comes to what is most important, we are in complete agreement, we are both committed and determined to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon," Blinken said - during a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in Jerusalem.
Blinken added: We will continue to stand in the face of Iran if it continues to threaten our allies in the region, noting that normalization has become a natural matter, and we are working to include more countries in the Abraham agreements.
For his part, Lapid said there are differences between us over the nuclear agreement and its consequences, but open and honest dialogue is part of the strength of our friendship.
"Israel and the United States will continue to work together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," he added.
Yesterday, Saturday, Blinken began a visit to Israel at the beginning of a regional tour aimed at mobilizing regional support for Ukraine in the war waged against it by Russia, in addition to allaying Tel Aviv's fears of an imminent nuclear agreement with Tehran.
On the first leg of his regional tour that includes the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria, Blinken will participate in a mini-summit with his counterparts in Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco;
The three countries that normalized their relations with Israel, the so-called Abraham Accords.
Blinken will seek to highlight the great interest of the United States in the Middle East, despite the fact that the region is no longer a top priority for Washington, which is focusing its attention on China and Russia.
The tour comes at a time when negotiations between the United States and Iran to revive the international agreement signed with Tehran on its nuclear program are entering their final stages.
Blinken will hold two separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the start of the tour.