Biden And Israeli Prime Minister Threaten Iran: We’re “Ready For Other Options”

• Biden And Israeli Prime Minister Threaten Iran: We’re “Ready For Other Options”
  by Tyler Durden, https://www.zerohedge.com/
  During his first trip to the White House as prime minister, Israel’s recently installed PM Naftali Bennet pressed Biden on abandoning ongoing attempts to restore the JCPOA nuclear deal through talks in Vienna, which have remained stalled of late.
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  Biden in his introductory welcome remarks made in the Oval office while alongside Bennett, said, “We’re also going to discuss the threat from Iran and our commitment to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon.” And then he appeared to make the kind of ‘threat’ towards Tehran that the Israeli leader no doubt welcomed: “If diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options,” Biden said. 
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  Certainly US-led sanctions on Tehran have by all accounts been essentially maxed-out at this point, leaving many observers to conclude that Biden was clearly hinting at a military option. Bennett himself had earlier in the week told The New York Times that Israel is willing to do anything it takes to thwart Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons (despite Iran’s leaders long claiming they are not pursuing nukes, but instead a peaceful domestic nuclear energy program).
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  Bennett had days ago specifically threatened that “clandestine attacks” will continue, and that Tel Aviv will continue to punish Tehran via “gray area” activities – a reference to hidden sabotage and espionage.
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  During Friday’s nearly one hour meeting with Biden, Bennett said, “Obviously, the main issue we’re going to be talking about today here is Iran’s right to a nuclear weapon.” And he turned to President Biden saying, I was happy to hear your clear words that Iran will never be able to acquire a nuclear weapon and that you emphasize that they’ll try the diplomatic route.” And then he agreed: “But there’s other options if that doesn’t work out.”
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  read more.

• Going Underground on RT
  We speak to Antony Loewenstein, independent journalist and author. He discusses the arrival of new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, how Bennett’s record is largely similar to Netanyahu’s if not even more right-wing, the analysis that 100 out of 120 members of the Israeli Knesset are pro-occupation, international pressure on Israel as the “only way” to end the occupation of Palestine, the extent of US influence over Israeli policy, Israel’s refusal to acknowledge its own nuclear weapons programme, the double standard on the nuclear weapons issue for countries such as Iran and much more!

• criminals and crime fighters
  The Israeli nuclear bomb is both an open and an official state secret. The Israeli media keep a low profile. Nationals who break the silence are imprisoned for years and harassed before the eyes of the world – like the researcher Mordechai Vanunu. He was kidnapped by the Mossad in 1986 and imprisoned in Israel for 18 years after publishing details about the Israeli nuclear reactor in England.

NEW: Israel is improving plans to strike Iranian nuclear targets, Defense Minister Benny Gantz tells mehttps://t.co/19GiARhYoy

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 4, 2021

• Israel Has 80-90 Nukes, SIPRI Report Says, as Tel Aviv Continues to Accuse Iran of Nuclear Obsession
  by https://www.rt.com/
  Israel, which routinely accuses Iran of trying to obtain nuclear weapons and pledges to use force to stop Tehran, maintains its own undeclared nuclear arsenal estimated at 80 to 90, according to the latest report by SIPRI.
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  There are nine nations in the world that currently have nuclear weapons, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says in its newly released yearbook on the state of armaments and international security. The world nuclear stockpile went from 14,465 at the beginning of last year to about 13,865 this year, the report estimates, as the US and Russia were delivering on their promises under the New START Treaty signed in 2010.
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  Israel, which maintains a policy of neither confirming nor denying the possession of nuclear weapons, has between 80 and 90 warheads in its stockpile, the same as the year before, the institute said.
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  It comes as tensions between Iran on one side, and the US and regional ally Israel on the other, continue to mount. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s unsinkable prime minister, has for years waged a campaign accusing the Iranians of having unwavering nuclear ambitions, regardless of the evidence, or lack thereof.
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“Iran doesn’t frighten me and I don’t think it should frighten the American people. They don’t have a bomb. They haven’t made a decision to build one. They don’t have the means to deliver one. And the Israelis have 300 atomic bombs! I mean who presents the existential threat to whom?” – Pat Buchanan (7:58 onwards)

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