Biden Refuses Public Negotiation on Israel-Iran Tensions

By Andrea Shalal and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he will not negotiate in public when asked if he had urged Israel not to attack Iran's oil facilities.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Israel has been weighing options to respond to Tehran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday. The U.S. stated that it would work with Israel to ensure that Iran faced severe consequences.

Biden contributed to a surge in global oil prices earlier in the day when he mentioned that Washington was discussing strikes on Iran's oil facilities. However, a U.S. official later clarified that Washington does not believe Israel has made a decision on how to respond to Iran's actions.

On Wednesday, Biden explicitly stated that the U.S. did not support any Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites.

KEY QUOTES

“I don't negotiate in public,” Biden told reporters when questioned about urging Israel not to attack Iran's oil facilities.

When asked if he was concerned that an Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities would raise oil prices, he said: “If a hurricane hits, prices are going to go up. I don’t know; who knows.”

Biden was also questioned why he had not spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days, to which he replied, “Because there’s no action going on right now.”

CONTEXT

During a year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli attacks have resulted in nearly 2,000 deaths in Lebanon, with most occurring in the past two weeks, displacing over 1.2 million people. Israel initiated a ground incursion in Lebanon this week, claiming its objective is to defeat Hezbollah and facilitate the return of about 60,000 evacuated Israelis to their northern homes.

In addition, Israel is involved in a war in Gaza, where nearly 42,000 people have died, and virtually all of the enclave's 2.3 million residents have been displaced. This escalation followed a deadly attack on October 7 by Palestinian Hamas militants against Israel.