Vice President Joe Biden has said the US wouldn’t prevent Israel from attacking Iran if the Israeli government decides it’s an existential threat. Biden made the comment during an interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.

Vice President Joe Biden: “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”

George Stephanopoulos: “But just to be clear here, if the Israelis decide Iran is an existential threat, they have to take out the nuclear program, militarily the United States will not stand in the way?”

Vice President Biden: “Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination, that they’re existentially threatened and their survival is threatened by another country.”

George Stephanopoulos: “You say we can’t dictate, but we can, if we choose to, deny overflight rights here in Iraq. There are ways we can stand in the way of a military strike.”

Vice President Biden: “I’m not going to speculate, George, on those issues, other than to say Israel has a right to determine what’s in its interests, and we have a right and we will determine what’s in our interests.”

Biden spoke during a visit to Iraq, where on Friday he was greeted by hundreds of Iraqi protesters in Baghdad calling for an end to the US occupation.