On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that Israel has not yet decided on how to respond to Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack. Still, he advised against targeting Iranian oil facilities.
“If I were in their position, I’d be considering alternatives to striking oil fields,” Biden remarked during a rare appearance at the White House daily press briefing.
Earlier in the week, Biden had also expressed his opposition to Israel potentially targeting Iran’s nuclear sites.
His latest comments followed a statement the previous day, where he mentioned that an Israeli strike on Iranian oil sites was “under discussion,” a comment that led to a surge in oil prices due to concerns over global supply disruptions.
“I think — I think that would be a little — anyway,” Biden said at the time, before noting that Israel would ultimately make its own decisions on how to respond to the missile strike. When asked if he had urged Israel not to target Iran’s oil infrastructure, Biden added, “I know not to negotiate in public.”
Despite Biden’s comments, Israeli media suggested that any Israeli response is being closely coordinated with Washington.
The Iranian missile barrage, which targeted Israel earlier this week, came as Israel continued its campaign against Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon. Iran claimed the attack was retaliation for Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a senior IRGC general, and the alleged assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
The strike forced millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and caused minor damage to Israeli air bases, with one Palestinian in the West Bank killed by shrapnel and two Israelis injured. However, the Israel Defense Forces described the impact as “ineffective.”
