Iran says it has reciprocal response ready for America's ‘other options’

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – A top Iranian official on Saturday accused US President Joe Biden of illegally threatening his country, adding that if the US resorts to “other options,” Iran is ready to respond in kind.

“The first meeting between (Israeli Prime Minister Naftali) Bennett and Biden and the emphasis on using ‘Other Options’ against Iran, while being an illegal threat to another country, establishes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s right to reciprocal response to ‘Available Options’,” Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Twitter.

Shamkhani’s statement came after Friday’s meeting in Washington between Biden and Bennett, their first since Bennett came to office this June.

Biden and Bennett discussed “the threat from Iran” and reiterated their commitment to ensure that Iran never develops nuclear weapons.

“We’re putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us, but if diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options,” Biden added.

In 2018 then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the Iran nuclear agreement and went on to reimpose sanctions on Tehran in a failed push to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for a tougher deal.

Biden has since sought to pursue negotiations that would enable Washington and Tehran to resume full compliance with the pact.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is formally known, placed sweeping constraints on Iran's nuclear program and created a robust inspections regime in exchange for the lifting of biting international and US sanctions.