President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States is �not going to wait forever� for Iran to rejoin a dormant nuclear deal, a day after saying he�d be willing to use force as a last resort against Tehran if necessary.

Biden made the comments at a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid following one-on-one talks in which they discussed Iran�s rapidly progressing nuclear program.

�We�ve laid out for the leadership of Iran what we�re willing to accept in order to get back into the JCPOA. We�re waiting for their response. When that will come, I�m not certain.,� Biden said, using an acronym for the Iran nuclear deal. �But we�re not going to wait forever.�

Resurrecting the nuclear deal brokered by Barack Obama�s administration and abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 was a key priority for Biden as he entered office. But administration officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the chances of Iran returning to compliance.

Biden and Lapid on Thursday discussed Iran�s rapidly progressing nuclear program, with the Israeli leader vowing afterward that �there will be no nuclear Iran.�

The U.S. president, who is set to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday, said he also stressed to Lapid the importance of Israel becoming �totally integrated� in the region.

Their one-on-one talks are the centerpiece of a 48-hour visit by Biden aimed at strengthening already tight relations between the U.S and Israel. The leaders also issued a joint declaration emphasizing military cooperation and a commitment to preventing Iran, which Israel considers an enemy, from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

�We discussed the Iranian threat,� Lapid told reporters afterward. �There will be no nuclear Iran.�

Israeli officials have sought to use Biden�s first visit to the Middle East as president to underscore that Iran�s nuclear program has progressed too far and encourage the Biden administration to scuttle efforts to revive a 2015 agreement with Iran to limit its development.

In the joint statement, the United States said it is ready to use �all elements of its national power� to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.

Biden, in an interview with Israel�s Channel 12 that aired Wednesday, offered strong assurances of his determination to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, saying he�d be willing to use force as a �last resort� if necessary.

Iran announced last week that it has enriched uranium to 60% purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade quality.

The joint declaration being announced Thursday could hold important symbolic importance for Biden�s meeting this weekend with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia as he seeks to strengthen a regionwide alliance against Iran.

�I talked about how important it was � for Israel to be totally integrated in the region,� Biden said after the one-on-one meeting with Lapid.

(AP)