Lapid: Deal with Iran Depends on ‘Credible Military Option’

Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
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Lapid: Deal with Iran Depends on ‘Credible Military Option’

Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP
Lapid speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. AP

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid considered that the nuclear agreement with Iran was “possible if a credible military threat is put on the table,” stressing that he instructed the army and Mossad leaders to prepare to defend Israel’s security.

“We are making a concerted effort to ensure the Americans and Europeans understand the dangers involved in this agreement,” Lapid said, stressing that the agreement signed in 2015 was “not a good deal,” and that the one currently being discussed involved “greater dangers.”

According to the Israeli premier, a new agreement would have to include an expiration date, and tighter supervision that would also “address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its involvement in terrorism throughout the Middle East.”

“We can reach such an agreement if a credible military threat is put on the table, if the Iranians realize that their defiance and deceit will have a heavy price,” Lapid said.

He added that the army and Mossad had “received instructions from us to prepare for any scenario.”

Meanwhile, an Israeli security source noted that official contacts were underway to arrange a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Lapid during the United Nations session next month in New York.

The source said that the proposed date was Sept. 20, following Biden’s speech before the UN, adding: “It is expected that the meeting, which may not take place on its announced date due to the two officials’ busy schedule, would be preceded by a telephone conversation that will be coordinated in the upcoming week.”

In parallel, a group of generals in Tel Aviv warned against any conflict with Washington over the ongoing talks with Iran.

General Amos Gilad, former head of the Political and Security Department in the Ministry of Defense, and General Yaakov Amidror, former head of the National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that any attempt to prevent the nuclear agreement would fail.

“The US administration cannot force Iran to stop its nuclear or regional policy, neither through diplomatic means nor through sanctions,” they said, stressing the need for “a serious and convincing threat of the military option.”

Gilad said that Iran’s policy was a “central strategic threat to Israel.”

He pointed out that the country was seeking to turn into a “state with nuclear capabilities”, in addition to its ability to launch electronic attacks.



Rubio to Meet China's Wang on Sidelines of ASEAN Talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025. Mandel NGAN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025. Mandel NGAN / POOL/AFP
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Rubio to Meet China's Wang on Sidelines of ASEAN Talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025. Mandel NGAN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025. Mandel NGAN / POOL/AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of ASEAN talks in Malaysia where Washington's tariffs are in sharp focus.

Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office comes as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes on everything from trade and fentanyl to Taiwan and technology.

Rubio, a longtime China hawk, and Wang are in Kuala Lumpur for a gathering of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which Japan, South Korea and Australia are also attending.

US officials said ahead of Rubio's first trip to the region as secretary of state that Washington was "prioritizing" its commitment to East and Southeast Asia.

Rubio said Thursday the United States has "no intention of abandoning" the Asia-Pacific region.

But US tariffs have overshadowed the conference and Rubio has sought to placate Asian trade partners, saying talks were ongoing and might result in "better" rates than for the rest of the world.

Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent against more than 20 countries, many of them in Asia, if they do not strike deals with Washington by August 1.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this week that tariffs were being used as "sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry".

Wang on Thursday called for a "fairer and more reasonable" international order.

"At the same time, we are also confronted with challenges such as the impact of unilateral protectionism and the abuse of tariffs by a certain major country," Wang said.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have ratcheted up since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that briefly sent duties on each other's exports sky-high.

At one point the United States hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent.

Beijing and Washington agreed in May to temporarily slash their staggeringly high tariffs -- an outcome Trump dubbed a "total reset".

- Taiwan, South China Sea -

Before becoming Secretary of State in January, Rubio had already been one of the most vocal critics of China on the American political stage for many years.

Rubio and Wang are also likely to discuss US concerns over China's expansionary behavior in the South China Sea and Beijing's growing military pressure on Taiwan.

China claims the democratic self-ruled island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.

Like most countries, Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with the island.

However, the United States is Taiwan's biggest arms supplier and has shown increasing support for Taipei in the face of Beijing's growing military pressure on the island in recent years.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China in late May of "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power" in the Asia-Pacific region.

He also claimed that Beijing "trains every day" to invade Taiwan.

In response, Chinese diplomats accused the United States of using the Taiwan issue to "contain China" and called on Washington to stop "playing with fire".