Biden tries to restrain, reassure Israel over Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during a joint statement at Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, March 9, 2010. (Xinhua/GPO)
by Dave Bender, Geng Xuepeng

The United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, apparently in an effort to reassure and restrain wary Israelis of U.S. support over Iran issue.

"We're determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. And we're working with many countries around the world to convince Tehran to meet international obligations and cease and desist," Biden told a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after their meeting.

"Addressing Iran's nuclear program has been one of our administration's priorities," added Biden, the highest level Obama administration official till now visiting the Jewish state.

Both Israel and the U.S. believe that Tehran may obtain the uranium fuel needed for nuclear weapons by the same process to purify uranium. But Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose.

Israel has long labeled Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its security, and refused to rule out the possibility of launching unilateral military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Statements by Israeli leaders and public surveys have shown that people here are increasingly uncertain that what they view as a growing, and potentially, existential threat may not be seen in such stark terms in Washington.

Accordingly, Biden's first morning of a four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories focused largely on Iran. And in Tuesday's remarks between him and Netanyahu, the vice president iterated U.S. commitment to the security of its long- time ally.

"The cornerstone of the relationship is our absolute and unvarnished commitment to Israel's security," Biden asserted, adding that "there is no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel's security."

During the press conference, Netanyahu said Israel appreciated U.S. efforts to push sanctions against Iran, and urged the international community to impose stronger sanctions.

"The stronger those sanctions are, the more likely the Iranian regime will have to choose between advancing its nuclear program and advancing the future of its own permanence," the Israeli prime minister said.

After a failed year-long engagement to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear program, the U.S. government is now seeking broader international support to impose tougher sanctions on Iran.

However, Israel has increasingly urged the U.S. to impose tougher sanctions these days, as Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said early this month that the Obama administration should take unilateral moves against Iran like its embargo on Cuba, in order to curb the Islamic republic's nuclear pursuit.

Earlier Tuesday morning, Biden met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, and there too, touched upon the Iran issue.

Peres suggested a series of what he called "moral" sanctions, including not allowing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to travel outside Iran, tightening economic sanctions aimed at bringing down the regime.

He also called on the U.S. to station anti-missile system in countries surrounding Iran, including the Arab ones. For this idea, Biden termed as "interesting."

The vice president hinted last year in an interview with American ABC television that the U.S. will not restrain Israel if the Jewish state decides to carry out a military action against Iran.

"Israel can decide for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden said in the interview.

However, Israeli media reported upon Biden's visit that a possible Israeli strike against Iran is a main concern during the visit of the senior official.

During an interview with Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth just before his arrival in the region, Biden called the question in regard to a possible Israeli attack a "hypothetical" question, adding that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to Israel, as well as to the United States.

Biden will travel to Ramallah Wednesday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian Authority leaders, and then return to Israel to deliver a speech on Thursday at Tel Aviv University over the relations between the United States and Israel.

Source: Xinhua