US Wants Part In Regional Missile Defense Against Iran – White House

A White House official says the US seeks to be involved in joint regional missile defense against Iran to make sure Israel can continue to defend itself. 

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security Mira Resnick said at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on Monday that “We will make sure Israel can continue to defend itself and respond to the many threats that surround it,” she added, highlighting Iran’s “very destabilizing role in the region” as a reason for Washington’s support for the defense efforts.

When it comes to Israel’s defense, she said, “the US is absolutely supportive of Israel,” citing the $3.8 billion in defense aid Israel provides annually, in addition to the $1 billion to revamp the Iron Dome missile defense system last year.

She added that such partnerships need to expand into other areas in order to be sustainable, mentioning ties in trade, sports and other areas as some examples. “This is something the US wants to foster. There’s no silver bullet to this challenge and we’ll need to work together,” she said.

In June, the US Senate and House Abraham Accords Caucus unveiled a bipartisan, bicameral effort to create a united front against the Iranian aggression in the Middle East, something that has been worrying the Islamic Republic ever since. 

The legislation proposes that the Pentagon work with Israel to integrate air defenses of six GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates with Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq with the aim of thwarting threats from Iran and Iranian backed-militias across the region.