US ambassador: Biden told Lapid, ‘We’ll never tie Israel’s hands’ on Iran

US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said on Monday that the White House has assured Israel it will never seek to prevent it from protecting itself against Iran.

At a press conference in Jerusalem, Nides said US President Joe Biden reassured Prime Minister Yair Lapid in their phone call last week that the US “will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

According to Nides, Biden also promised Lapid that “we’ll never tie Israel’s hands.”

“We understand the aggression of Iran,” he said. “[Biden] was very clear to the prime minister in that belief.”

Amid ongoing uncertainty regarding a return by Iran to the 2015 nuclear deal, the past year has seen the Israel Defense Forces ramp up its efforts to prepare a credible military threat against Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

Nides said the US wants to reach a diplomat agreement to restore the 2015 accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program, but only under certain conditions. He added there were “many gaps” remaining between the sides, following a setback in negotiations last week that came amid predictions a deal could soon be reached.

Nides said he was due to meet later Monday with Lapid to discuss Iran.

Also in Israel on Monday, the chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said the Biden administration had committed to submitting any agreement on Iran’s nuclear program to Congress for review.

Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who is part of a congressional delegation visiting Jerusalem, told a press conference at the city’s King David Hotel that a review would be conducted by his committee and that there would be a vote on such a deal.

He added that he was unsure if the outcome of that vote “would meet the threshold under the law to nullify the agreement.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the delegation was briefed by Mossad chief David Barnea, who was slated to leave for Washington later Monday for talks with senior US officials on Iran’s nuclear program.

“The Mossad leader’s trip to the US will focus on tightening security and intelligence coordination with the Americans surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue,” a statement Sunday from Lapid’s office said.

Barnea came out forcefully against a renewed Iran nuclear deal last week, in comments that Lapid reportedly told him veered from official talking points.

At a cabinet meeting Sunday, Lapid argued that his government was effectively applying pressure to ensure that Israel’s reservations regarding the emerging Iran deal were being heard, while still maintaining a strong relationship with the US.

The premier took a swipe at Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who was prime minister when the initial agreement between Iran and world powers was signed. Lapid and Netanyahu publicly sparred last week after the premier delivered a security briefing to the former prime minister on the emerging nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

“For those who tell us that we are not shouting enough, or are not blunt enough, I will remind you what really happened in the past: In 2015, when Israel insisted on an unnecessary confrontation with the administration, it was a complete failure,” Lapid said, referring to a speech Netanyahu gave to Congress despite opposition from the Obama administration.

“The Americans just stopped listening to us. There was damage to the relationship with them, and they also went and signed a bad agreement.”

Netanyahu hit back at Lapid on Monday.

“To stop Iran, we must act with all strength — in Congress, the Senate and American media,” the former premier said in a statement.

“On November 1, Israel will go from defense to offense and we’ll ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon,” he added, referring to Israel’s upcoming elections.