Defence secretary Austin says US diplomatic efforts with Tehran will continue
Diplomatic efforts to engage Iran will continue after an incident at Tehran’s nuclear site at Natanz, the US defence secretary said as he left Israel yesterday.
Lloyd Austin said he was aware of the attack that Iran blamed on Israel, but he had no details.
“I’m aware of the reports. I really don’t have anything to add on Natanz,” Mr Austin said from Nevatim air base in southern Israel.
“In terms of, you know, our efforts to engage Iran in diplomacy on the JCPOA [the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action involving Iran and six powers], those efforts will continue. And I’m very supportive of the president’s efforts to negotiate a way ahead there. And I’ll just leave it at that.”
Mr Austin reaffirmed US support for Israel’s security in remarks made in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a meeting yesterday.
Mr Netanyahu said the US and Israel agreed that “Iran must never possess nuclear weapons”.
Iran said on Sunday that its underground Natanz site had been sabotaged after it experienced power cuts. Foreign Minister Javid Zarif accused Israel of nuclear terrorism.
Mr Austin’s two-day visit to Israel included talks on co-operation with Defence Minister Benny Gantz and a tour of Israeli air and missile defence systems and its fleet of F-35 Lightning warplanes.
Mr Gantz gave Mr Austin a model of the David’s Sling missile system, and Mr Austin presented Mr Gantz with the original communique in which the US officially recognised the establishment of the state of Israel.
Israel’s government has for years described Iran as an existential threat because of its pursuit of a nuclear weapon and its support for militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.