US to use all 'national power' to stop Iran atomic bomb

The US will use "all elements of its national power" to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, President Joe Biden pledged in a security declaration signed with Israel on Thursday.

In the document inked by Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Jerusalem, the two countries "reaffirm the unbreakable bonds between our two countries and the enduring commitment of the United States to Israel's security."

It also commits Washington to "never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon."

The United States "is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome" adds the statement, called "The Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration."

The text was signed as Biden met with Israeli officials on the second day of his first Middle East tour as president. His delegation will fly onwards to Saudi Arabia, Iran's main regional rival, following talks Friday with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Lapid has said that countering Iran would be the "foremost" issue during bilateral talks.

In the joint declaration, the "United States reiterates its steadfast commitment to preserve and strengthen Israel's capability to deter its enemies and to defend itself by itself against any threat or combination of threats."

It also addresses broader Israeli concerns about Iran, notably the Islamic republic's support for the Palestinian Islamist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

"The United States further affirms the commitment to work together with other partners to confront Iran's aggression and destabilising activities, whether advanced directly or through proxies and terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad," the declaration said.