Biden says he doesn’t want Middle East conflict to ‘diffuse’ in talks with Iraqi PM: President reiterates he is ‘committed to Israel’s security’… while calling for Gaza ceasefire

President Joe Biden said Monday that he did not want the conflict in the Middle East to “spread” and reiterated his call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

“The United States is committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading,” Biden said in the Oval Office ahead of his meeting with and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shyaa Al-Sudani.

“If the United States is committed” to Israel’s security, he added.

Biden has been focused on stopping the war in the Middle East from escalating after Iran attacked Israel on Saturday.

He has also pushed for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to enter the region.

Complicating matters was Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend. Biden’s meeting with the Iraqi prime minister was planned long before Tehran fired over 300 missiles at Tel Aviv.

The US has had a military presence in Iraq for two decades. On Saturday night, a US Patriot battery in Irbil, Iraq, shot down at least one Iranian ballistic missile, according to US officials.

The US helped bring down dozens of missiles and drones to defend Israel.

However, Iranian proxies have launched attacks against American interests throughout the Middle East from within Iraq. These ongoing strikes have made discussions between the US and Iraq about regional stability and future US troop deployments even more critical.

“Our partnership is vital to our nations, the Middle East and the world,” Biden told al-Sudani, as the Iraqi leader noted the discussion comes at a “sensitive time.”

Meanwhile, the White House said on Monday that Iran ‘completely failed’ in its attack on Israel as it tries to persuade Israel’s war cabinet not to retaliate for a 350-missile blitz amid fears the conflict will escalate into an all-out war in the Middle East.

The White House has emphasized that President Biden is pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the win.

‘The President, in his conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, praised the amazing success they had in shooting down a vast, vast majority of the missiles and drones that were fired at them. Very few impacts, no injuries, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on NBC’s Today Show.

‘It was an incredible performance. And he urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to consider the impact of the great success, not only in Israel’s military superiority, but also that Iran had completely failed in what they were trying to do.’

Smoke rises and billows over settlements after Israeli attack on east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip

US President Joe Biden meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office

Biden is facing increasing pressure to contain the crisis, with defense experts arguing that the president has allowed the conflict in Gaza to spread and that the expanding battle lines risk drawing in allies, including the United States.

The Israeli government said it is discussing further steps.

Kirby said Monday morning that it was unclear what Israel would ultimately do.

“We have no indication that they’ve made a decision,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America, “or what they might do. Obviously, that’s up to them to decide and talk to.”

And Kirby told the Today Show: ‘The president made it clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that there was a lot to be proud of the other night in terms of the military success. The president has been very clear in several places that we are not seeking a war with Iran. We do not want to see a wider war in the region.’

Iran on Saturday fired hundreds of missiles and drones in response to a drone strike in Syria that killed 12 Iranians, including two top generals.

Israel Defense Forces – along with coalition partners that include the US, UK, Jordan and France – shot down 99% of those air missiles.

Biden spoke to Netanyahu in a phone call late Saturday night and made it clear that US forces would not participate further.

The president has urged Netanyahu not to respond to the attacks by retaliating against Iran.

‘You have a victory. Take the win, Biden told Netanyahu.

A woman stands amid rubble in front of a collapsed building on the eastern side of the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip

The Israeli prime minister’s war cabinet favors a response – but is reportedly divided over the timing and scale of any such response.

Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken said the US is coordinating a diplomatic response to the Iranian attack aimed at preventing further escalation.

“Strength and wisdom must be the two sides of the same coin,” Blinken said in what appears to be a message to Israel.