U.S. Nationwide Safety Advisor, Jake Sullivan speaks throughout a press convention in Tel Aviv, Israel, 12 December 2024.
Abir Sultan | Through Reuters
The Biden administration is worried {that a} weakened Iran might determine to construct a nuclear weapon, White Home Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned on Sunday, including that he was briefing incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s crew on the danger.
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 “typical capabilities” have additionally been diminished, Sullivan informed CNN, a reference to latest Israeli strikes on Iranian amenities, together with missile factories and air defenses.
“It is no surprise there are voices (in Iran) saying ‘Hey, possibly we have to go for a nuclear weapon proper now… Perhaps we’ve to revisit our nuclear doctrine’,” Sullivan informed 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 mentioned there’s now a “actual threat” that Iran will revise its place that “we’re not going for a nuke.”
“It is a threat we are attempting to be vigilant about now. It is a threat that I am personally briefing the incoming crew on,” Sullivan mentioned, 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 trade regardless of calls to return to negotiations from critics who see diplomacy as a more practical long-term coverage.
