Periscope
large-scale series of exercises hun-
dreds of miles away across the Medi-
terranean Sea, roughly the same dis-
tance that would be needed to strike
targets in Iran.
“Preparations to deal with the
Iranian challenge also included the
establishment of a new directorate
that is dealing, among other things,
with the Iranian military nuclear
program, Iranian regional entrench-
ment and weapons proliferation,”
the official added.
Such moves have drawn the ire of
Iran. “This is not the first time that
the language of threat against Iran’s
peaceful nuclear program is being
used by the US and the Israeli regime,”
Iran’s permanent mission to the Unit-
ed Nations said in a statement.
The mission said this peaceful na-
ture has been affirmed by “numerous”
12 NEWSWEEK.COM
MIDDLE EAST
reports of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, which is barred from
inspecting Israel’s own widely sus-
pected nuclear arsenal.
“Unlike the Israeli regime, who
possesses hundreds of nuclear war-
heads, and the U.S., who constant-
ly upgrades its nuclear arsenal in
contravention of its [Non-Prolifer-
ation Treaty] obligations, nuclear
“When Omicron was
discovered, we found
ourselves in a much
better situation
than we could have
been, largely thanks
to the war game.”
“We’ve been there, we will adapt, and
A COMMON FOE Bennett discussed
Iran with Biden at their first face-to-
face meeting at the White House in
Washington, D.C., on August 27, 2021.
weapons have no place in Iran’s
defensive doctrine,” the Iranian
mission said, adding, “However,
we’ll continue our peaceful nuclear
program and exercise our right of
self-defense in the face of any act of
aggression against our territory.”
The Iranian mission also urged
the U.S. to reverse the Trump-era re-
turn to sanctions against the Islamic
Republic, and warned Israel against
pursuing any threats.
Further U.S.-Israel consultations
ensued, as National Security Advisor
Jake Sullivan and Acting Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs Yael Lempert traveled to Isra-
el and to the Palestinian territories
of the West Bank.
A senior Biden administration
official declined to discuss if Isra-
el factored into the so-called “Plan
B” if nuclear deal talks failed to
reach a resolution in Vienna, but
said Israel’s peace efforts, including
with the UAE, would be the center
of attention.
“I think the focus on Israel, where
we’re heading, the integration and
building on the Abraham Accords
has been a central focus of ours,” the
senior Biden administration official
said. “And that will be an important
topic of conversation.”
But amid these U.S. official visits,
Israel’s borders were closed as the
war on COVID-19 rages in a country
accustomed to adversity.
“We are very flexible, very agile,
and, for us, at the end of the day,
when we are facing a crisis, it’s like,
okay, it’s another crisis,” Ayish said.
SA RAHBETH MANEY/GET T Y
we will react.”
J a N ua r y 21, 2022