Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Apr 02, 2026

Iran can respond to America’s ‘other options’, top official replies after Biden says he’s ready to act should diplomacy fail

Iran can respond to America’s ‘other options’, top official replies after Biden says he’s ready to act should diplomacy fail

US President Joe Biden said the US can turn to “other options” should negotiations with Iran fail. A senior Iranian official responded, saying it’s an illegal threat and that Tehran has the right to respond in kind.

The warning from Tehran was voiced on Saturday by the secretary the Supreme National Security Council, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, who tweeted it in Farsi, English, Hebrew, and Arabic.


He noted the “emphasis on using ‘Other Options’ against Iran” expressed during a meeting between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House on Friday. The signal was “an illegal threat to another country” that “establishes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s right to reciprocal response to ‘Available Options,’” Shamkhani said, adding the hashtag #ActiveResistance.

The response was to the assurances given by Biden to Bennett that the US won’t hesitate to take action against Iran should the preferred path of diplomacy prove to be fruitless.

“If diplomacy fails, we’re ready to turn to other options,” the president said, without offering specifics.

The meeting in Washington came one day behind schedule after a delay due to the terrorist attack in Kabul on Thursday, which killed over 170 people, including 13 US troops. The first one-on-one meeting between the newly-elected leaders was meant to smooth the tensions that festered under Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. The former prime minister was a vocal critic of the Obama-era multilateral nuclear deal with Iran, and Biden’s attempt to negotiate its revival after Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

The rift was exemplified by a reported lack of intelligence cooperation between Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration. According to the New York Times, the Israelis didn’t inform the US about their planned attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear site in April until the very last moment, giving the Americans no opportunity to call it off, should they have wanted to. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the act of sabotage.

The Biden administration and Iran have been conducting indirect talks in Vienna for months, but no breakthrough has come out of it. The 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), became increasingly meaningless after Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018, and targeted Iran with crippling economic sanctions.

Tehran started reneging on its part of the bargain a year later, saying that other Western signatories of the deal failed to adequately compensate for the damage done to Iran by the US move. Under the JCPOA, Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear industry in exchange for sanctions relief and lucrative business opportunities.

The lack of trust between Iran and the US was highlighted by the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who held his first formal meeting with the incoming conservative government on Saturday. He stressed that no administration in Washington should be trusted, regardless of who is in charge of it, saying, “There is a predatory wolf behind the scenes of US foreign policy that sometimes turns into a cunning fox.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Engages Saudi Crown Prince in Talks on Potential Iran Ceasefire
Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Suspends Operations as Supply Chain Disruptions Intensify
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Energy Shift by Trading Oil Revenues for Battery Investments
Saudi Arabia Introduces Flexible Options for Expired Visas Amid Regional Disruptions
Online Narratives Surge as Iran–US Tensions Spill Into Digital Arena Following Trump Remarks
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump to Seize Strategic Moment as UAE Weighs Ground Deployment
Saudi Arabia Redirects Nearly One Million Barrels of Oil Daily Away from Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Execution of Businessman Linked to 2011 Qatif Unrest
Ukraine–Saudi Defense Pact Signals Rising Demand for Battlefield Expertise
Saudi Arabia Balances Diplomacy and Defense Preparedness Amid Iran Conflict
Iran Conflict Reshapes Strategic Calculations in U.S.-Saudi Relations
Saudi Arabia Voices Caution as Trump’s Assertive War Strategy Reshapes Regional Dynamics
Saudi Arabia Updates Travel Advisory as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Suspends Petrochemical Production as Conflict Disrupts Operations
Iran Urges Saudi Arabia to Remove US Forces Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
Gulf Allies Urge Trump to Sustain Campaign Until Iran Is Fully Defeated
Saudi Arabia Unveils Strategic Rail Freight Corridors Connecting Gulf Ports to Jordan
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drones and Ballistic Missiles in Major Defensive Operation
Houthi Escalation Opens New Front in Expanding Iran-Linked Conflict
Major Saudi Chemical Plant Halts Operations Amid Regional Conflict Disruptions
Strike on US Radar Aircraft in Saudi Arabia Signals Escalating Threat Capabilities
US Citizens in Saudi Arabia Advised to Shelter Indoors Amid Rising Regional Tensions
How Britain’s Prime Minister Controls U.S. Bomber Access in Escalating Iran Conflict
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump to Lead Strategic Reset in Middle East as UAE Weighs Ground Role
Reed Smith Expands Saudi Presence with Senior Corporate Appointments
Trump Announces Approval of F-35 Fighter Jet Sale to Saudi Arabia
BBC Faces Scrutiny Over Allegations of Paid Content Linked to Saudi Arabia
Ukraine Secures Defense Agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia as UAE Talks Advance
Oil Prices Surge as Saudi Arabia Adjusts Supply Amid Escalating Iran Tensions
Saudi Arabia Condemns Attacks on Kurdistan Leaders and Reaffirms Backing for Iraq’s Stability
Saudi Arabia Weighs Strategic Interests as Iran Conflict Raises Regional Stakes
Severe Thunderstorms Sweep Across UAE and Saudi Arabia Bringing Heavy Rainfall
Trump’s Strategic Alignment with Saudi Arabia Reflects Expanding Economic and Diplomatic Synergy
Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Attacks on Presidential Residences in Hawler
Saudi Stocks Edge Lower as Tadawul Index Closes Slightly Down
Houthis Enter Expanding Iran Conflict as US Deploys Additional Troops
Iran Seeks Assurances for Regional Allies as Saudi Arabia Presses for Firm Security Guarantees
Iranian Strike Reportedly Destroys $270 Million US E-3 Sentry Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Iranian Strike on Saudi Base Leaves Ten American Personnel Injured
Ukraine Claims Russia Shared Satellite Intelligence with Iran Ahead of Saudi Base Strike
Pakistan Engages Regional Powers in Diplomatic Talks Over Iran Conflict
Escalating Iran Conflict Brings Renewed Focus to US Military Presence in Saudi Arabia
Iranian Strike Targets Saudi Airbase, Damaging Key US Military Assets
Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Emphasise Secure Shipping Routes in Talks on West Asia Conflict
Dallas-Based Company Secures One Billion Dollar Hotel Development Deal in Saudi Arabia
Zelensky Secures Defence Cooperation Deals with Gulf States During Strategic Regional Tour
Trump Calls on Saudi Arabia to Join Abraham Accords in Push for Expanded Middle East Cooperation
Trump Balances Humor and Praise in Remarks on Saudi Crown Prince
Saudi Arabia’s Strategic Pipeline Reaches Seven Million Barrel Capacity to Bypass Hormuz
Rubio Signals U.S. Could Conclude Iran Conflict Within Weeks as Air Campaign Intensifies
×