The leaders of Israel and the United States aired their differences on how to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons Thursday even as President Joe Biden pledged America’s “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security.

During a joint news conference in Jerusalem at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Yair Lapid says the international community must be willing to use force against Iran in order to halt its nuclear program.

“The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program, the free world will use force,” he said. “The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table.”

“It should not be a bluff, but the real thing,” Lapid continues. “The Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world, they will pay a heavy price.”

Biden defended his efforts to rejuvenate the international agreement intended to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, a strategy that Israel opposes.

“I continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome,” he said, adding that the U.S. is “not going to wait forever” rejuvenate the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump abandoned.

They spoke shortly after signing a joint declaration in which the U.S. vowed to use “all elements of its national power” to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Biden heads to Saudi Arabia on Friday as he seeks to shore up Israel’s burgeoning ties with Gulf Arab countries and strengthen an emerging regional alliance against Iran.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)