U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "time is running short" for Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and that Washington would look at every option to deal with the challenge posed by Tehran.
Speaking to reporters in a joint press conference following the meeting Blinken said that Washington would look at every option to deal with the challenge posed by Tehran.
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday
(Photo: U.S. State Department)
"We are getting close to a point at which returning to compliance with the JCPOA will not in and of itself recapture the benefits of the JCPOA and that's because Iran has been using this time to advance its nuclear program in a variety of ways," Blinken said.
Blinken said the United States seeks to promote normalization between Israel and the Arab states, in a joint statement that was released after a trilateral meeting held by the secretary with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed at the State Department on Wednesday.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking to reporters after meeting foreign ministers of Israel and the UAE on Wednesday
(Photo: U.S. State Department)
The meeting marked the latest sign of the Biden administration's embrace of the so-called Abraham Accords, which were widely seen as a diplomatic success for Trump.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel was reserving the right to act against Iran at any time with military force if necessary, to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"This is not only our right but our duty," he said. "Iran announced publicly that it intends to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, and we have no intentions of being wiped out," Lapid said during the joint press conference.
"There are moments when nations must use force to protect the world from evil," he said. "If a terror regime is going to acquire a nuclear weapon we must act. We must make clear that the civilized world won't allow it. If the Iranians don't believe the world is serious about stopping them, they will race to the bomb."
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid following his meeting with Antony Blinken and UAE foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed
(Photo: U.S. State Department )
During the press conference, the secretary also said Washington plans to press ahead with its plan to reopen the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem as part of efforts to deepen ties with Palestinians,
"We'll be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate as part of deepening of those ties with the Palestinians," Blinken said at the State Department.
First published: 21:42, 10.13.21