44 US Generals Urge Biden Admin to Expedite Advanced Weaponry Shipments to Israel to Prevent Iran Nuclear Attack

Edited by: Fern Sidman

US military commanders urged the Biden Administration to expedite sales of advanced weapons to Israel to deter and prevent Iran’s nuclear threat, according to published reports on Tuesday.

In an open letter published by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, 44 American generals and admirals wrote, “The United States should apply lessons of the year-old Ukraine conflict: It’s vital to arm capable and willing partners facing regional threats, and best to do so before conflict erupts. To confront this pressing high-priority threat, the United States should immediately provide Israel with the advanced weapons it needs to deter and prevent a nuclear Iran.”

The US, Israel’s biggest defense supplier, was urged by the group to “expedite delivery—through outright sale, temporary lease, or prepositioning in Israel—KC-46A aerial refueling tankers, F-15I’s, F-35s, and precision-guided munitions, such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)”.

Iran says its nuclear technology is solely for civil purposes, but its policy of enriching uranium to over 80 percent has no civilian use and only a short step away from bomb-level purity of 90 percent. The nuclear threat is “one of the most pressing strategic challenges America faces today”, according to the group.

“As retired American military leaders who devoted our lives to the defense of our nation, we prefer a diplomatic solution that would genuinely end the threat posed by Iran’s escalating nuclear program. But no such deal is imminent, nor realistic,” the letter said, as was reported by the Algemeiner.com web site. “The United States cannot pursue a deal while the Tehran regime brutalizes its own people and provides Russia with arms to target civilians in Ukraine,” the letter continued.

In February the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) detected uranium enriched to 84% at Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Power Plant. The Algemeiner also reported that the IAEA has previously said there was “no credible civilian justification” for Iran’s enrichment levels. Uranium enriched to 3-5% is the level typically used for civilian nuclear reactors. 84% pure uranium is considered to be “highly enriched”, but remains short of the approximately 90% purity required for weapons grade uranium used in nuclear weapons. According to the Algemeiner report, CIA director William Burns in February said that Iran could cross that threshold “within weeks” if it decided to, but did not assess that they had done so.

Led by Air Force General Chuck Wald (ret.) and Navy Vice Admiral John Bird (ret.), Tuesday’s letter said there was only one way to prevent Iran from taking that step.

“Our military experience has taught us that demonstrating the willingness and capability to use force offers the best chance against having to do so. If a conflict does commence, it is best to possess already the weapons necessary to achieve success,” the group added, as was reported by the Algemeiner. “By acting now to augment Israel’s military capabilities, the United States can help Israel defend itself by itself, prevent a nuclear Iran, and address one of the most pressing strategic challenges America faces today,” they write.

On December 23^rd, the Jewish Voice reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held five secret discussions on the Iranian issue, in which it was decided to significantly raise the level of Israeli preparation and readiness for an attack on the nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic, according to Israel National News.

According to the report, Israel’s top defense officials participated in the discussions, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the head of the Mossad, the head of the National Security Council, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Aharon Haliva, the head of the Operations Directorate, as well as the operational ranks of the relevant units in the IDF, INN reported.

The summaries of these meetings, from which messages were conveyed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and French President Emmanuel Macron, made it clear, according to the INN report, that if the world does not act against Iran, Israel will be forced to act and will not hesitate to do so.

The discussions were convened in light of reports that Iran has enriched uranium to a level of 84%, only 6% short of the enrichment level required for a nuclear bomb. On Sunday, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it was in talks with Iran after the report surfaced, the Times of Israel reported. This means that Iran is just a small step away from the 90% enrichment level required to create weapons-grade material.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, denied the reports in December, telling the IRNA state news agency, “So far, we have not made any attempt to enrich above 60%. The presence of particles above 60% enrichment does not mean production with an enrichment above 60%, “ as was reported by the TOI.

Meanwhile, INN reported that Israel in recent days has conveyed messages to Hamas and Hezbollah, noting that the fact that there is an “explosive” political situation in Israel does not mean that Israel is not militarily prepared for any possibility – and will react disproportionately to any attempt to harm it.

The report, which was not attributed to any source, included few other details about the discussions, and may itself be designed to telegraph the seriousness of Israeli threats to resort to military action in order to shut down Iran’s suspected drive toward a nuclear weapon, which Netanyahu has described as an existential threat, as was reported by The Times of Israel.