WASHINGTON — Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned President Joe Biden on Wednesday of a mounting Iranian “challenge” as Tehran continues its brutal crackdown over widespread protests led by young Iranians and U.S. efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal flounder.
At the start of an Oval Office meeting with Biden, Herzog noted it had been 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian security custody, which spurred the protests across Iran. He also noted that Iran was “moving toward” becoming a nuclear power and alluded to Tehran providing Russia with drones that are “killing innocent citizens in Ukraine.”
“Today, the Iranian regime is crushing thousands of Iranian citizens— young men and women — who are demonstrating and simply pleading to have their own liberties,” Herzog said. “I think the Iranian challenge will be a major challenge that we are discussing.”
Israeli officials have made the case to Biden that reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement would not stop Tehran from achieving its nuclear ambitions and would destabilize the region. The Biden administration, however, until recently seemed determined to bring back the deal, which would provide Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear program to the limits it set.
But the administration has sounded increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for the deal in recent…
