Biden threatens war, Iran builds 3,000 advanced centrifuges

Washington - As the fifth year of the Obama administration unfurls, Iran has announced it is building an additional 3,000 advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges, according to state media.

Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden has hit the airwaves insisting that his boss “is not bluffing” and will go to war if necessary to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Biden made the comments to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in a speech on Monday. “The president of the United States cannot, and does not, bluff,” Biden told the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group. However Iran has proceeded unabated with its nuclear program throughout the Obama/Biden first term. Mr. Obama has called for direct talks with Iran, similar to those held to no avail with North Korea. Israel's leaders say the new centrifuges will significantly shorten the time remaining for Iran to produce nuclear weapons. Critics say Obama’s threat to use force while maintaining that “all options are on the table” lacks credibility. Many have called into question the president's commitment to Israel’s security during the past four years as relations between the two countries has deteriorated significantly under the Obama Biden administration. The vice president delivered a wide-ranging defense of the administration's policies toward Israeli Jews, using much of his speech to convince those in attendance that Obama is a friend to Israel. "Even as circumstances have changed, one thing has not: our deep commitment to the security of the state of Israel," Biden said. "That will not change as long as I and he are president and vice president of the United States. It's in our naked self-interest, beyond the moral imperative." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose relationship with Obama is strained and visibly uncomfortable in the view of many, has repeatedly warned that Iran is close to producing nuclear weapons. Adding to Israeli concerns, Mr. Obama is arming Muslim Brotherhood–led Egypt to the teeth with highly-advanced American fighter jets and other sophisticated weaponry. Egypt’s president has called for the destruction of Israel and has called Mr. Obama a liar. Israel and Egypt receive billions in foreign aid money and weapons from the U.S.