Planned high-level talks between US and Israeli officials about Iran’s nuclear program were called off after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the US for its lack of military assistance, a source told Fox News, while a White House official refuted the claim.
The officials were scheduled to meet on Thursday in the wake of new revelations about Iran’s nuclear program. Hours after news of the meeting broke, Netanyahu released a video recorded in English in which he called the recent lack of U.S. military assistance to Israel “inconceivable.”
The talks were called off following Netanyahu’s comments, a senior administration official told Fox News, adding that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s planned visit to the US next week was proceeding as scheduled, as were other talks on aid distribution and coordination.
Meanwhile, a White House official said plans for the meeting were still moving forward but had not yet been “fully finalized.”
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President Biden’s administration canceled plans to meet with Israeli officials on Iran’s nuclear program on Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized a lack of U.S. military aid. (Government Press Office)
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Netanyahu’s video offers a glimpse behind the scenes of Biden administration policies.
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“It is becoming clear that the White House has been misleading Congress and the American people about the extent of the withholding of key weapons Israel needs to defend itself. It’s not just about the 2,000-pound bomb. It’s about precision-guided conversion kits,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The president is effectively allying himself with Iran to push Israel into Tehran’s ring of attacks,” he added, referring to the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist groups.
President Joe Biden speaks at Gun Sense University, hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, at the Washington Hilton, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Thursday’s meeting was about information regarding computer modeling programs. Iran “The Iranian government has been working to develop a nuclear program that could potentially be used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran’s intentions behind the program remain unclear, with officials reportedly divided on whether it is harmless or indicates the Iranian regime’s further nuclear ambitions.”
A Downing Street spokesman did not provide details about the reports of the cancelled talks but stressed that Israel and the US “continue to hold discussions at all levels with US officials” and that “this is very important to us”.
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Some Israeli officials were already on their way to the US when they were informed of the cancellation of the talks, Axios reported on Wednesday.
The canceled talks between the United States and Israel were over information obtained by Iran about computer modelling programs that could be used to develop nuclear weapons. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, via The Associated Press)
Netanyahu’s video referenced a conversation he had with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Israel last week, in which he expressed “deep gratitude” for the U.S. support but also offered sharp criticism.
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“I also said it was inconceivable that over the past few months the administration had withheld the supply of arms and ammunition to Israel,” Netanyahu said.
Fox News’ Caroline McKee contributed to this report.
