U.S. Israel joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weaponry

US President Joe Biden (left) holds a bilateral meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid at a hotel in Jerusalem on Thursday. Pic/AFP

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran. The undertaking, part of a "Jerusalem Declaration" crowning Biden's first visit to Israel as president, came a day after he told a local TV station he was open to "last resort" use of force against Iran - an apparent move toward accommodating Israel's calls for a "credible military threat" by world powers.

"We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," Biden told a news conference later. Washington and Israel have separately made veiled statements about possible preemptive war with Iran - which denies seeking nuke arms - for years. Whether they have capabilities or will to deliver on this is subject to debate. Thursday's statement reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel's regional military edge and ability "to defend itself by itself".

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