Joe Biden affirms 'Iran will not acquire nuclear weapon' during his regime

United States President Joe Biden said on Monday that the US will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon while he is in power. This came a day after the US carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed militias Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada in Iraq and Syria, in response to drone attacks against US personnel and facilities in Iraq.

Ahead of his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Biden said, "Today, we are going to be discussing the broad range of challenges, including Iran. What I can say to you, Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said the attacks were justifiable under Article 2 of the US Constitution that gives the president authority to use military force to protect US interests.

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We took necessary, appropriate, deliberate action that is designed to limit the risk of escalation, but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message." Meanwhile, Biden declined to comment on the strikes in their aftermath. 

US Military Forces Airstrike Iran-backed Militia

The US carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria, in response to drone attacks against US personnel and facilities in Iraq, the US Department of Defense said on Sunday. In a statement, the Pentagon said, "At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region. The targets were selected because these facilities are utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq."

"Specifically, the US strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries. Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), used these facilities," the statement added. 

Sunday’s strikes mark the second time the Biden administration has taken military action in the region. In February, the U.S. launched airstrikes against facilities in Syria, near the Iraqi border, that it said were used by Iranian-backed militia groups.

(With Agency Inputs)