U.S. leaves door open to Israel attacking Iran's oil reserves

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his opposition to Israel targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, but he was somewhat vague on the administration's attitude toward a possible strike on Tehran's oil fields.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United States is still in discussion with Israel about the way the latter would retaliate against the missile attacks from Iran, U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday, adding that "nothing" is expected to happen during the day.

Boarding Marine One to tour hurricane Helene's impacted area in the southern states of Florida and Georgia, the president told reporters on the White House South Lawn that the United States will "advise" Israel on what specifically the retaliation will be.

"And there's nothing going to happen today," he added.

Axios in a Wednesday report cited Israeli officials as saying that Israel is expected to launch a "significant retaliation" against Iran in the coming days, with possible targets including the Islamic Republic's oil production facilities.

In the event that Iran strikes Israel again, "all options will be on the table" for Israel to consider, including attacking Iran's nuclear sites, the report said.

Biden on Wednesday expressed his opposition to Israel targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, but he was somewhat vague on the administration's attitude toward a possible strike on Tehran's oil fields.

"We're in discussion of that. I think -- I think that would be a little -- anyway," the president said Thursday.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked the same question during Wednesday's press briefing, where he refused to comment on ongoing U.S.-Israel discussion about the planning for the retaliation.

"We're having discussions with them about what that response will look like. And at this point, I don't think I should talk about those discussions," Miller said.

While preparing for the retaliation against Iran, Israel is continuing with its ground incursion into Lebanon, which Biden was opposed to from the outset, saying he wanted the Israelis to stop.

Answering a question from Xinhua about what the United States is going to do now that Israel's operation is underway, Miller said during the briefing that he won't disclose ongoing private diplomatic conversations, adding that Washington will work with Tel Aviv "to ensure that they can degrade Hezbollah and prevent Hezbollah from being able to launch attacks into Israel as they have been doing since Oct. 8" of 2023.

"We're going to continue to press on them the need to make decisions that are in not just their short-term but their long-term strategic interests," Miller said.