Israeli officials from across the political spectrum expressed "tremendous concern" about the Biden administration’s efforts to secure a new nuclear deal with Iran, telling a group of U.S. lawmakers visiting the country that Tehran is closer than ever to developing a nuclear weapon.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), who sat down with top Israeli officials during a bipartisan congressional delegation to Israel earlier this month, told the Washington Free Beacon that fears about a new deal have reached a critical mass in the country as the Biden administration approaches the final stages of its negotiations with Iran.
"It’s important to note that I didn’t talk to anyone who was in favor of a new JCPOA," Blackburn said, referring to the nuclear deal by its official acronym. "There’s tremendous concern that is wrapped in the question of why the United States would choose to enter back into a JCPOA knowing that Iran is a part of this axis of evil."
Blackburn, who was joined on her trip by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), met with Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, and national security adviser Eyal Hulata. The lawmakers assured these leaders that the United States will bolster Israel’s security infrastructure even as the Biden administration works to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets that will fuel its regional terrorism enterprise.
