“If anyone in Tehran thinks that Iran can make unhindered progress toward nuclear weapons, they are mistaken,” the prime minister said.
By World Israel News Staff
Ahead of his official visit to Rome Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss, among other issues, the Iranian threat.
Austin arrived on a one-day visit to Jerusalem after stopping in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. The US official’s trip was truncated due to the anti-government protests across the country.
Ahead of the meeting, the two statesmen made statements to the press.
“We have a common agenda to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and preventing Iran’s aggression, maintaining the security and prosperity of this region, seeking to expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu said.
”You’ve heard us say over and over again: We are absolutely committed to the security of Israel,” Austin responded.
After the meeting, Netanyahu issued the following statement to the media, saying that he “very much appreciated his remarks on behalf of President Biden, as well as the US commitment to Israel’s security, also on behalf of the President.
“Our conversation focused primarily on our joint efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. If anyone in Tehran thinks that Iran can make unhindered progress toward nuclear weapons, they are mistaken,” he said.
“I discern a change in the approach to Iran in recent months, both in the US and in the countries of Western Europe, and in the West in general, the premier continued. “I see a need and an obligation to try and strengthen a more assertive approach with Iran.
“Of course, this will be at the center of my meeting with the Italian prime minister, just as it was at the center of my meeting with [French] President Macron. I intend to hold similar talks with principal European leaders in the near future.”