 deep defense ties. Under your leadership, our cooperation has reached new heights. Two recent examples include the transition of the IDF to Sankom and the excellent joint exercise, Juni Perak. This bond is critical to regional stability and the security of the state of Israel. This includes, above all, ensuring Israel's military superiority in the region. Today, we find ourselves at a critical point in time. In the coming period, we will need to make pressing and important decisions. Iran aims to gain nuclear weapons and threaten not only Israel, but the entire world. Mr. Secretary, it is our duty to take all measures necessary to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. In this matter, our capabilities and our cooperation have great meaning and power. We dedicate a great part of our meeting today to discussing areas of defense cooperation. The Iranian nuclear threat requires us to be prepared for every course of action. I repeat and emphasize we must be prepared for every course of action. Should Iran gain nuclear weapons and the power of nuclear deterrence, the Ayatollah regime will only increase its activities. Supporting Hezbollah and Hamas terrorism and exporting advanced weapons around the world, including UAVs and accurate missiles. We will see terrorism against innocent across the region, including the people of Iran, who suffer under a violent and oppressive regime. Mr. Secretary, as the son of Holocaust survivors, I am fully aware of the heavy mission that rests on my shoulders, on our shoulders. We must do everything in our power to ensure that the dreams of the Ayatollahs are never fulfilled at any cost. As for the Palestinian arena, the state of Israel seeks stability and security. We are interested in the economic prosperity and the well-being of the Palestinian people in Judah, in Samaria, and in Gaza. This should never come at the expense of the life of a single citizen of Israel. And in face of terrorism, we will be determined, precise, and powerful. Secretary Oste, allow me on this occasion to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of Israel's defense establishment for your unshakable and personal commitment to the ties between our countries and to the security of the state of Israel. I look forward to continue working closely with you. Today, we show our friends and our enemies that, from the youngest soldiers to the highest leadership, Israel and the United States stand shoulder to shoulder. Thank you very much. Please, Mr. Secretary. Well, good afternoon, everyone. It is terrific to be back in Israel. And Minister Galant, thanks for a very productive meeting. You know, we've already spoken several times by phone, but it's great to be here and to be able to sit down in person with you and your team. And I wanted to be here to make something very clear. America's commitment to Israel's security is ironclad, and it's going to stay that way. As President Biden said on his visit to Israel last year, the connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep. Israel is a major strategic partner for the United States. And that very special relationship began when President Truman became the first world leader to recognize the State of Israel, 11 minutes after it was formed. And that was some 75 years ago. And our bond is rooted in far more than just shared interest. It's rooted in the shared values of democracy and freedom and the rule of law. And those values remain essential. As President Biden has said, the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances, and on an independent judiciary. And the President also noted that building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained. Now for generations and across governments, the United States and Israel have worked together to strengthen our ties. You can see the depth of our commitment to Israel's security in the robust assistance that the United States provides to Israel. Our historic memorandum of understanding with Israel provides $3.3 billion annually for security assistance, as well as additional funding for cooperation on missile defense. And I'm proud that President Biden reaffirmed his support for the memorandum of understanding and last year's historic Jerusalem Declaration. And that declaration again reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel's security. You can also see our commitment in the Juniper Oak exercise in January between CENTCOM and the IDF. About 6,400 U.S. troops participated in this year's Juniper Oak alongside more than 1,500 Israeli troops. And the exercise integrated U.S. and Israeli fifth-generation fighter assets and included a live-fire exercise with more than 140 aircraft. It was highly ambitious and highly successful. And Juniper Oak underscored the depth of our security partnership. It was a key step forward in interoperability, helping us both to better address regional threats. And it showed our ability to swiftly flow in forces and respond to crisis, even while maintaining our commitments in other key theaters. Now, as you'd expect, and you heard the minister say, much of our discussion today focused on the threats posed by Iran. Iran remains the primary driver of instability in the region. And we remain deeply concerned by Iran's support for terrorism, its dangerous proxies, its nuclear advances, its aggression at sea, its cyber threats, and its proliferation of attack drones and advanced conventional weapons. Now, we continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. But as President Biden has repeatedly made clear, the United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Now, Iran's destabilizing actions are not just a threat to Israel. They are a challenge to the region and to the world. We're especially concerned by Iran's growing strategic partnership with Russia, including using Iranian drones to terrorize and kill innocent civilians in Ukraine. And over the past year, Russia's military cooperation with Iran has deepened, and that poses serious challenges for this region and for the safety of your citizens. Iran is gaining important battlefield expertise and experience in Ukraine that will eventually transfer to its dangerous proxies in the Middle East. In return for Iranian support in Ukraine, Russia has been offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles and air defense. And all that just reminds us of the stakes as Russia's cruel and unprovoked war of choice enters its second year. Now, Israel has been providing helpful humanitarian support for Ukraine, and I'm also grateful for Israel's participation in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that I convene. Yet we're also calling on all of our allies and partners to step up now at this hinge moment in history. Nations of good will, and especially our fellow democracy, must all urgently do their part to help Ukraine fight for its freedom. And we must all come together to resist Putin's grim vision of a world where autocrats get to decide which countries can be snuffed out. So we'll continue to stand up for our interests, our principles, and our friends. And the minister and I discuss ways to deepen our cooperation with Israel and our other partners in the region. And we look forward to continuing to integrate Israel into the region's security architecture. You know, as a former sitcom commander, I am especially proud that Israel has now been rightfully shifted to the cent-com area of responsibility. That change in the historic Abraham Accords have opened the door to even greater regional security cooperation. That means new opportunities to share early warning and to integrate air defense capabilities and to expand maritime domain awareness. And that's going to help expand security and prosperity for people across the Middle East. Now, we're meeting today at a time of tension. So we had a very frank and candid discussion among friends about the need to de-escalate to lower tensions and to restore calm, especially before the holidays of Passover and Ramadan. As we always have, we're calling on the Palestinian leadership to combat terrorism and to resume security cooperation and to condemn incitement. And as I always have, I was very clear about Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of Israelis who were killed and wounded during recent terrorist attacks. And I am here as a friend who is deeply committed to the security of the state of Israel. But the United States also remains firmly opposed to any acts that could trigger more insecurity, including settlement expansion and inflammatory rhetoric. And we're especially disturbed by violence by settlers against Palestinians. So we'll continue to oppose actions that could push a two-state solution further out of reach. And we'll work to build on the February 26th agreement in Jordan, including the commitment by the parties to de-escalate on the ground and to prevent further violence and to fully implement the terms of the akaba communicating. So we had a big agenda today. We had a highly constructive discussion. And Yohav, I'm grateful for the chance to further deepen our security cooperation. Again, our commitment to Israel's security is not negotiable. And I look forward to continuing to work together to make Israel even more secure over the long haul. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yohav Galan speaking in recent hours at the airport here in Israel. A big agenda as