The news comes as Biden visits Israel and Saudi Arabia this week, while at the same time Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan go to Tehran. Tel Aviv has expressed concern about Iran wanting to build a nuclear weapon, but Tehran has always stated that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful civilian purposes.
In response to Mr Biden’s threats, Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said through state media: “The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price of using the word ‘force against Iran’ .
Biden must have been sleepy when he threatened Iran.
The senior commander added: “Watch your soldiers’ pants – they can get wet in the Persian Gulf.”
Asked by Israeli television this week whether his previous statements that he would prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon meant that he would use force against Iran, Mr. Biden replied: “If that was the last resort, yes.”
On Thursday, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons, a clear step toward meeting Israel’s calls for a “credible military threat” by world powers.
Tehran signed a deal with six major powers in 2015, limiting its uranium enrichment program to make it more difficult to develop a nuclear weapon in return for relief from international sanctions.
US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed severe economic sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to begin violating the agreement’s nuclear limits about a year later.
Diplomatic attempts to revive the deal have so far failed.
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