From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 19, 2023
US envoy Nides: Israel ‘can do whatever they need’ on Iran, ‘and we’ve got their back’
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides says the Iran nuclear deal is currently on ice, as the US will not indirectly negotiate with Iran while it supplies Russia drones for use in the war in Ukraine.
“The Iranians are providing drones to Russia and those drones are killing innocent Ukrainians. There is no chance today of us going back to the negotiating table,” Nides tells the Conference of Presidents, at the group’s event in Jerusalem.
“As President [Joe] Biden has said, we will not stand by and watch Iran get a nuclear weapon, number one. Number two, he said, all options are on the table. Number three, Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal with and we’ve got their back,” Nides adds.
“The threat of a nuclear Iran is not just for Israel, it is for the Middle East and America. We are focused on this,” says the ambassador. “The cooperation between Israel and the US vis-a-vis Iran is lockstep. Every day.”
