Biden, Israeli president discuss ties, regional issues

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden on Monday discussed bilateral relations and regional issues with visiting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Biden, at the beginning of their meeting in the Oval Office, reaffirmed US "unwavering commitment" to Israel's self-defense, adding "Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch".

Biden said he would be hosting Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House "very soon", and voiced support for the normalization of relations between Israel and other countries in the region.

Rivlin is due to retire next month after the end of his seven-year term.

The role of the president in Israel is mainly ceremonial with little executive power. The president of Israel is elected for seven years and cannot serve more than a single term.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome on Sunday that "Israel has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal being put together in Vienna", according to a statement issued by the Israeli foreign ministry.

Lapid said on Monday that his country reserves the right to act against Iran's nuclear program "anywhere and anytime".

Washington and Tehran have had six rounds of indirect negotiations in Vienna since April aimed at restoring the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

A senior State Department official said last week that the two sides still have serious differences over the issue.