US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says US Capitol violence 'unacceptable'

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday that the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol is "unacceptable and must stop."

Mnuchin spoke from Jerusalem just moments after Congress validated President-Elect Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election.

"Our democracy will prevail and our institutions will remain strong. Now is the time for our nation to come together as one and to respect the democratic process in the United States," Mnuchin said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he described as a "rampage" by the pro-Trump mob on the U.S. Capitol building, saying it ran contrary to the shared values of the two countries.

"The rampage at the Capitol yesterday was a disgraceful act and it must be vigorously condemned," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also thanked Mnuchin and the Trump administration for achieving normalisation deals with four Arab countries, among them Sudan, where Mnuchin visited this week to finalise its accord.

With the Biden administration expected to aim to resume negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program, Mnuchin called on any future talks with Iran to include Israel and its Arab neighbors.

(Image credit: AP)