Israel, Saudi Arabia seek US strike on Iran ahead of Biden inauguration: report

i24NEWS

January 01, 2021, 01:33 AMlatest revision January 01, 2021, 06:08 AM

Israel and Saudi Arabia have been urging the administration of US President Donald Trump to strike Iran ahead of the inauguration of the presumptive US President-elect Joe Biden, London-based Dar Al-Hayat reported Thursday.

According to the report, which cites unnamed US sources, the two nations seek a surgical US strike aimed at Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

The rationale behind the alleged push is to derail possible Iran outreach from the Biden administration, with President-elect stating an intention to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal.

According to the report, the Israeli and Saudi officials also tried to persuade the United Arab Emirates to join the push for an Iran strike.

The UAE resisted such calls, however, wary of affecting its complex relations with the Islamic Republic, the report adds.

While Biden has indicated he wanted to rejoin the nuclear deal, earlier reports suggested his team was divided on whether the agreement would first have to be expanded.

In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the accord, saying it did not go far enough and did not cover Iran’s regional aggression and ballistic missile development.