Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Newsmax that the United States "likely" has a "military contingency" plan if Iran doesn't abide by a nuclear agreement.
Speaking on "Saturday Report," Olmert said, "If and when Iran will — in spite of this — develop ... or reach very close to the actual possession of nuclear capacity, I'm sure that the United States has a military plan ready for that eventuality.
"They wouldn't say it now, and I don't think that they should say it now while they are negotiating with the Iranians. But to the, of my [knowledge]," Olmert continued, "America has a military contingency if Iran will violate the agreement. So I think that the difference between, perhaps, Israel and America at this stage is whether we should now make an announcement, or whether, instead of an agreement, there should be an immediate military attack on Iran. There is a difference, apparently, between America and the [present] government of Israel, but I accept what the president said; he said, 'America will never allow Iran to have a nuclear capacity.'"
On Thursday, Biden said the U.S. is "not going to wait forever" for Iran to rejoin a stagnant nuclear deal, according to The AP. After private talks between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Biden said the U.S. had a path for the Iranian leadership to return to the nuclear deal and was awaiting a response.
"When that will come, I'm not certain," Biden stated. "But we're not going to wait forever."
Currently, negotiations in Brussels between Iran and world powers to reach an agreement on a nuclear agreement are nearing a close. But Biden said he remains optimistic that a diplomatic solution will develop. "I continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome," Biden said.
However, Biden's optimistic take contrasted sharply with Lapid's.
"The Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world they will pay a heavy price," Lapid said during a news conference. "The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table."