US to Israel: ‘Iran Will Never Obtain a Nuclear Weapon’

The second session of strategic Iran Talks was held on Tuesday after an attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility

The US and Israel held the second session of a strategic group to coordinate on Iran on Tuesday. The talks are headed by each country’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan for the US side, and Meir Ben Shabbat for the Israelis.

Details of what was discussed on Tuesday are scant. In a readout of the meeting, the White House said that Sullivan “reaffirmed the Biden-Harris administration’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and to ensuring that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon.”

The meeting comes as the US and Iran are engaged in indirect talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which Israel is strongly opposed to. The Israelis are taking covert action to sabotage the diplomacy. An attack over the weekend at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was attributed to Israel by unnamed officials speaking to the media, which is the usual way Israelis take credit for covert action.

Iran responded to the Natanz attack by announcing it will begin enriching some uranium at 60 percent. It’s not clear how this decision will impact talks with the US.

The US is trying to distance itself from the Natanz attack, but considering the US and Israel are coordinating so closely on Iran, it’s hard to believe the US had no prior knowledge of the planned sabotage.

Last week, an Iranian ship was attacked in the Red Sea. A US official told The New York Times that Israel was responsible for the Red Sea attack and notified the US shortly after it happened.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.