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Sept. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Niles reiterated his support for Israel in its self-defense against Iran, during a meeting with the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Nides also expressed President Joe Biden's commitment to the so-called "two-state solution," to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
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Nides said Biden's support for the Palestinians has to do with support for people, not politics, and the president strongly believes in the preservation of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state.
On Iran, Nides said that Biden would prefer to see a diplomatic solution that would protect Israel from Iranian aggression but that the United States would never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. He said the United States would not stand by and allow Iranian aggression.
During a news conference on Monday, Nides said those assurances came directly from Biden in comments to current Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in a phone call between the two leaders last week.
The comments came against Israel's concerns over the United States rejoining the multi-national 2015 nuclear deal limiting Iran's nuclear capabilities.
"We understand the aggression of Iran," Nides said on Monday, according to the Times of Israel. "[Biden] was very clear to the prime minister in that belief."
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was an agreement between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, and several European countries that called for limiting Iran's nuclear activity along with inspection verification in exchange for sanctions relief.
The United States walked away from the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump. Israel has already complained about the deal, stressing it did not believe it was a strong enough deterrent for Iran.
