Lucknow Press
Washington: US President Joe Biden has indicated that if a Gaza ceasefire agreement is reached, Iran may stop its ‘revenge’ plan against Israel. This statement comes at a time when the White House is anticipating a possible retaliatory attack from Iran. Let us tell you that after the killing of Hamas’ political wing leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran, Iran had announced revenge against Israel. However, Israel has not yet commented on the killing.
According to media reports, while addressing reporters in New Orleans on Tuesday (August 13), Biden said, “We will see what Iran does and what happens if there is an attack. But I will not give up.” Regarding Tehran not attacking, he said, “That is my expectation.”
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated Biden’s words during the briefing. Patel said the hostage and ceasefire agreement would “create the conditions for diplomacy to lead the region out of this cycle of violence.”
The spokesperson said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working round the clock with all concerned parties to craft this agreement, which can end the instability in the region
Patel said, ‘He [Blinken] has been talking on the phone for the last several weeks, and repeatedly repeating the same message, that we are close to finalizing a ceasefire agreement.’
Is Washington playing a double game ?
Although the US is in favour of a peace deal, its stance is unclear. Earlier this week, it was reported that Blinken would visit the Middle East to take the talks forward. However, on Tuesday, US media outlets claimed that the trip was postponed due to ‘uncertainty about the situation’.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the US has approved the sale of $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel, which includes fighter jets and state-of-the-art air-to-air missiles.
The State Department said that amid fears of Israel getting embroiled in a major war in Central Asia, Congress (US Parliament) has been informed about a proposal to sell more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM), 120 mm shells, mortars and other weapons and military equipment including tactical vehicles to Tel Aviv.
However, Israel is not expected to receive these weapons and military equipment in the near future, as the supply contract will take several years to complete. The purpose of selling these weapons and military equipment to Israel is to enhance its military capabilities in the long term.
