Washington: President Barack Obama is committed to denying Iran a nuclear weapon, the US today asserted as it pledged its firm support to Israel, saying there will “never be a sunset on America's commitment to Israel's security, amid the latter's allegations about a potential deal with Tehran.
The US also said it will take “whatever steps are necessary” to protect its own national security and that of its closest allies.
“The United States of America will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, period,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told members of the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee as she reaffirmed Obama Administration's commitment to US-Israel relationship.
“Let me put President Obama's commitment to denying Iran a nuclear weapon in context. The Obama administration has invested more that USD 20 billion in foreign military financing for Israel, far more than for any other country and more than at any previous time in the history of the US-Israel relationship,” she said.
“The president is not only committed to denying Iran a nuclear weapon before negotiations with Iran began, he has reiterated the same commitment during negotiations, and he will keep his commitment whether negotiations collapse or produce a diplomatic solution that meets our bottom lines,” she added.
“Maybe the President has made this point so often that it isn't heard in the same way anymore, but we have to keep repeating it. Talks, no talks, agreement, no agreement, the United States will take whatever steps are necessary to protect our national security and that of our closest allies,” she said.
Power said: “We believe diplomacy is the preferred route to secure our shared aim. But if diplomacy should fail, we know the stakes of a nuclear-armed Iran, as well as everyone here. We will not let it happen.
“There will never be a sunset on America's commitment to Israel's security, never.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today warned the US against the deal with Iran, calling it “the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world”.
