Biden says US ‘not going to wait forever’ for Iran to reenter nuclear agreement

Mr Biden says curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions is ‘a vital security interest to both Israel and the United States and ... the rest of the world’

US President Joe Biden on Thursday warned that the negotiations meant to bring Iran back into the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement cannot be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Mr Biden was asked if he’d set a deadline for when he might walk away from the talks, which the US is hoping will re-start the agreement which former president Donald Trump walked away from in 2018.

“We've laid out for the people for the leadership of Iran, what we're willing to accept in order to get back to the JCPOA,” Mr Biden said. “We're waiting for the response. When that will come, I'm not certain. But we are not going to wait forever.”

The president’s remarks about the limits of American patience come just days after he told Israel’s Channel 12 News that America would use force to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capabilities, but only as a last resort.

Mr Biden also said he discussed Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the US “commitment to ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon” with Mr Lapid, the centrist politician who is serving as a caretaker prime minister through Israel’s 1 November election.

“This is a vital security interest to both Israel and the United States and ... for the rest of the world as well,” he said. He added that he still believes diplomacy remains the best way to stymie Tehran’s quest for a nuclear weapon, and pledged to continue cooperating with Israel against “other threats” from Iran, including Tehran’s support for terrorism and its’ push to develop ballistic missiles.

A joint declaration signed by both Mr Biden and Mr Lapid stated that the US “is prepared to use all elements of its national power” to keep Iran from becoming the ninth country in the world to openly possess nuclear weapons.