The US will not rule out military action against Iran if that was the only thing that would prevent it from having a nuclear weapon, US President Joe Biden told Channel 12 News in an interview conducted on Tuesday.
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Biden, who landed in Israel Wednesday as the first stop in his Mideast tour this week, was asked why he was pursuing a deal with Iran despite opposition from Israel.
Biden replied that this would be better than letting Iran continue advancing in its nuclear program and added that "it was a gigantic mistake to pull out, they are closer to a bomb now." He insisted that the deal would not prevent the US from targeting Qods Force, Iran's terrorist arm: "It [the deal] has nothing to do with Qods Forces. We have laid out a deal, we have offered it." He also said that he would not take the Revolutionary Guards, which oversee the Qods Force and are a major entity in Iran, off the US State Department list of terrorist organizations.
When pressed if he "would use force against Iran if needed" Biden said, "As a last resort yes. Iran cannot get a nuclear weapon."
Asked about the Saudi leg of the trip, which is widely anticipated to usher in a breakthrough in regional ties, Biden said that it was important to visit the kingdom not just because of oil. "It's about stability in the Middle East, which is an overwhelming interest of Israel and the US." He said that although normalization between the two countries might be long, "accepting each other's presence all makes sense to me."
Channel 12 News also released footage showing Biden singing to interviewer Yonit Levi after discovering it was her birthday.
Video: Channel 12 NEWS
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