Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.

 

"We both agree that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. My policy as prime minister of Israel is clear: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability," Netanyahu said in joint statements with visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

 

Iran has repeatedly denied its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and says its nuclear facilities are meant for civil purposes only.

 

Austin did not mention Iran in his statement, but said that the United States and Israel will "maintain close cooperation."

 

The U.S. official said he hopes that "together we can draw a path toward stable peace" in the Middle East, in the wake of the normalization deals between Israel and Gulf countries.

 

The comments were made a day after an attack on Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz. Iran blamed Israel for the attack.

 

Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday for a two-day visit. It is the first official visit to Israel by a senior official with the Biden administration. It came as the White House has been holding indirect talks over possible renewing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.