U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan speaks throughout a press convention in Tel Aviv, Israel, 12 December 2024.
Abir Sultan | Via Reuters
The Biden administration is worried {that a} weakened Iran might resolve to construct a nuclear weapon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated on Sunday, including that he was briefing incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s group on the chance.
Iran is reeling from setbacks to its regional affect after Israel’s assaults on its allies, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, adopted by the autumn of Syrian Iran-aligned President Bashar al-Assad.
Tehran’s “standard capabilities” have additionally been decreased, Sullivan advised CNN, a reference to latest Israeli strikes on Iranian amenities, together with missile factories and air defenses.
“It’s no marvel there are voices (in Iran) saying ‘Hey, possibly we have to go for a nuclear weapon proper now… Maybe we’ve got to revisit our nuclear doctrine’,” Sullivan advised CNN.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceable, however has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump in his first time period as president pulled out of a deal between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Sullivan stated there’s now a “actual danger” that Iran will revise its place that “we’re not going for a nuke.”
“It’s a danger we are attempting to be vigilant about now. It’s a danger that I’m personally briefing the incoming group on,” Sullivan stated, including that he had additionally consulted with U.S. ally Israel on the difficulty.
Trump, who takes energy on Jan. 20, is more likely to step up sanctions on Iran’s oil business regardless of calls to return to negotiations from critics who see diplomacy as a more practical long-term coverage.
