U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he opposes an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of a trip to states affected by Hurricane Helene, Biden said he was crafting a response with the G7 group of leading democracies.
“We’re working on a joint statement all of us agree on from Japan to France to Germany,” Biden said. “What we’re doing in that regard is we’re making it clear that there are things that have to be done.”
“It will be done before too long, probably by the time we land,” Biden said of the statement. “There’s going to be some sanctions imposed on Iran.”
Asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s nuclear sites, Biden said he would not.
“The answer is ‘no,’” Biden said. “We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do, but all seven of us agree that they have a right to respond, but they should respond proportionately.” (The G7 is Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.)
Biden declined to say what advice he was giving to the Jewish state and indicated that he had yet to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Iran’s ballistic missile attack.
“We’ve been talking to Bibi’s people the whole time. It’s not necessary to talk to Bibi,” he said, referring to Netanyahu’s nickname.
“I’ll probably be talking to him relatively soon,” he added.
Biden spoke with the G7 leaders on Wednesday “to discuss Iran’s unacceptable attack against Israel and to coordinate on a response to this attack, including new sanctions,” per a White House readout.
Biden and the G7 “unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel,” the White House added. “President Biden expressed the United States’ full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”