White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the Biden administration’s response, particularly its absence, escalating tensions in the Middle East during her Friday morning press briefing.
“I know there’s a lot of interest in reporting on the Middle East overnight. And we understand that, we understand that. I’m going to see it now, though. I know you all will definitely ask me questions about this. What we’re doing I have no comment on the reports at this time. Obviously, you all heard from Secretary Blinken earlier this morning,” Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre added that President Biden is kept informed of everything that is happening regarding the unrest in the Middle East.
This comes after Israel carried out limited strikes against Iran on Friday morning in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.
IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAKES NO MENTION OF ISRAELI STRIKE DESPITE THREAT OF COMPLETE DESTRUCTION
At the WH press conference on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the overnight unrest in the Middle East. (Getty Images)
Fox News has confirmed that there were explosions in Iran’s Isfahan province, where Natanz, one of Iran’s nuclear facilities, is located.
Jean-Pierre said the White House did not want to see conflict escalate in the Middle East.
“We have been very clear from the beginning that we do not want to see this conflict escalate. We continue to consult with our allies and partners, including in the region, of course, and to reduce any risk of escalation in the region .” And that’s a sentiment that was expressed in the G7 Foreign Ministry joint statement released this morning,” Jean-Pierre said. “You heard that now, obviously, from Secretary Blinken, who was part of this meeting. I’m just going to be very attentive. I’m not going to speculate or talk about the reports that exist at this time. “.
When asked whether the United States had been informed by the Israelis before the counterattack, Jean-Pierre always refused to comment.
“I’m not going to talk about our diplomatic conversations,” Jean-Pierre said.
She also declined to answer whether the United States has influence in the Middle East after being asked about President Biden’s “don’t” response to any Iranian retaliation.
Israel strikes site in Iran in retaliation for weekend assault: SOURCE
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks to reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, February 28, 2024, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“I know it’s not going to be satisfactory. I’m not going to talk about any of the published reports. I’m just not going to do that, I’m not going to speculate. I will say you heard that from my colleagues at NSE, and you’ve heard from many of us here at the White House, the president and the prime minister have a long-standing relationship that lasts decades, decades,” Jean-Pierre said.
“Because of this long-standing relationship, they are able to talk to each other very honestly and have difficult conversations when necessary. That’s the type of friendship they have. I’m just not going to talk about ‘none of the events have been reported.
The United States has denied any involvement in the strike, after days of pleading with Israel to respond with restraint to the Iranian strikes.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asked Friday morning about Israeli strikes on Iran, said: “I’m not going to talk about it except to say that the United States was not involved in any offensive operations. »
“What we’re focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our job to ease tensions, to defuse any potential conflict. You have saw Israel the target of an unprecedented attack,” he added. “But our goal has of course been to ensure that Israel can defend itself effectively, but also to defuse tensions and avoid conflict.”
Republicans criticize Biden’s deterrence: ‘every time he says don’t do it, they do it’
An Israeli soldier attaches an Israeli flag atop an armored personnel carrier (APC) near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Monday, April 15, 2024.
Iranian state media also reportedly downplayed Friday’s strikes, which a well-placed military source told Fox News were “limited.”
“This morning’s explosion in the skies of Isfahan was linked to the firing of air defense systems on a suspicious object which did not cause any damage,” Iranian army commander General Abdolrahim Mousavi said. in an Associated Press report.
A senior Iranian official reportedly told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had no immediate plans to retaliate.
Israel and its government remained relatively silent before and after the retaliation against Iran.
“Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement before the Israeli attack. “(Foreign leaders) have all kinds of suggestions and advice. I appreciate that. But I want to be clear: Our decisions, we will make ourselves.”
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Former Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus tweeted that after the strike, and although Iran appears to be downplaying the strike, he “thinks they got the message.”
Timothy HJ Nerozzi, Bradford Betz, Jennifer Griffin, Greg Norman and Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
