Israel and the United States are determined to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking after meeting Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said they discussed a number of issues, “none more important than Iran”.

“Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran,” he said.

“We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons and also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region must be rolled back.”

Also, read this

Netanyahu vows to eliminate Hamas’ military capabilities

Israel receives shipment of heavy bombs cleared by Trump

US intelligence: Israel could strike Iran’s nuclear sites this year

Rubio said: “Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilising activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran.”

Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a “mighty blow” to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and said that with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, “I have no doubt we can and will finish the job.”

Thanking Rubio for backing Israel’s policy in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States under Trump shared a common strategy in the Palestinian enclave, where a fragile ceasefire is in effect.

“I want to assure everyone who’s now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us,” he said. The previous evening, Israel took delivery of a consignment of MK-84 heavy bombs after Trump lifted a block placed on them by the previous administration of President Joe Biden.

Rubio added: “Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force and as long as it stands as a force that can govern or administer or a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible.”

Iran’s response

Iran said on Monday that US and Israeli threats against it were a blatant violation of international law and that they could not “do a damn thing” to hurt Tehran.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded: “When it comes to a country like Iran, they cannot do a damn thing”.

“You cannot threaten Iran on one hand and claim to support dialogue on the other hand,” Baghaei said, state media reported.