Biden accepts Bennett's invitation to visit Israel

Jerusalem, April 25

US President Joe Biden has accepted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's invitation to visit Israel in "the next few months," the Prime Minister's office said.

The two leaders discussed over the phone Iran's demand to delist its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the US terror list, according to a statement by the office on Sunday.

"I am sure that President Biden, a true friend of Israel who cares about its security, will not be able to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist organisations," Bennett said in the statement.

"Israel has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organisation in the world," he added.

They also talked about the ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian officials to lower tensions and ensure a peaceful conclusion to the holy season of Ramadan, according to a statement from the White House.

The phone talk came as world powers and Iran are working to renew the 2015 nuclear agreement, which former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of in May 2018. The US later reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel, which considers Iran its arch-foe, has been lobbying against the revival of the deal, claiming it will enable Iran to pursue nuclear weapons without the burden of sanctions, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.