'Think That Would Be A Little…': Biden On Talks With Israel About Strikes On Iranian Oil Sites

In retaliation for the missile barrage, US President Joe Biden on Thursday said he is in talks with Israel about strikes on Iranian oil sites.

“We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway,” he told reporters at the White House when asked if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities. His comments quickly sent oil prices spiking just a month before the US presidential election.

Biden, however, said “nothing is going to happen” on Thursday with regard to Israeli strikes, even as the situation is highly tense as the region awaits some form of response. “First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” he said, trying to allay fears about further escalation.

Iran launched around 200 rockets in a direct missile attack on Israel on October 1, prompting Netanyahu to warn that Tehran will pay. Iran said it was in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Oil prices jumped 5 percent over concerns about the Middle East after the President spoke. A rise in oil prices could be damaging for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump in the closely contested election race. Cost of living is a major issue in this year’s polls.

What did Biden say about Iranian nuclear sites?

Biden’s latest remarks come after his statement on Wednesday (October 2) that he will not back Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites. “The answer is no,” Biden told reporters when asked if he will support such retaliation. These comments were made after he and fellow G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom spoke by telephone about coordinating new sanctions against Iran.

The US and its allies are scrambling to keep the Middle East conflict — sparked by Hamas militants in Gaza’s October 7 attack on Israel — from spreading further. They are urging Israel to show restraint as it weighs retaliation against the Iranian attack. But, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently paid little heed to these calls. As of now, Israel is carrying out limited ground operations across its northern border with Lebanon to dig out Hezbollah, after it decimated its leadership in massive air strikes.

Targeting Iran’s controversial nuclear programme will perhaps be seen as the most provocative action that Israel could take. It’s one that Biden believes could further enflame a conflict that he already worries could develop into a broader regional conflict.

(With agency inputs)