U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that the Iranian nuclear threat would be a “substantial topic of conversation” during his upcoming visit to Israel.
“We’ll have the opportunity to engage deeply with the new Israeli government on the threat posed by Iran. And I think we share the same fundamental objectives. And we will work through any differences we have on tactics, the same way that we have over the course of the past two years,” Sullivan said on Monday.
According to reports, Sullivan will arrive in the Jewish state next week, although the exact date has yet to be finalized.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer landed in Washington on Monday for high-level meetings with American officials that will focus primarily on Iran’s nuclear program.
Dermer, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2013-2021, is the first member of Israel’s new government to travel to Washington, and comes as Jerusalem appears readying to ramp up a pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC Political Leadership Forum through a video call from his office in the Knesset, speaking about the importance of U.S.-Israel cooperation on Iran.
“The time has come for Israel and the United States, along with other countries, to stand together, and I look forward to discussing this with President Biden and his team,” said Netanyahu. “Today, more people agree on the issue than ever before.”
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that there was “absolute unanimity” with Israel that Iran must be prevented from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but conceded that there were “tactical differences” between the countries on how to go about doing so.
