Washington
4 May 2023

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan remarked that “we are… engaging Iran diplomatically regarding its nuclear program, and we continue to believe that it was a tragic mistake to leave the deal with nothing at all to replace it. But we have made clear to Iran that it can never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. As President Biden has repeatedly reaffirmed, he will take the actions that are necessary to stand by this statement, including by recognising Israel’s freedom of action”. He further explained that “on the deterrence side, working with our partners – including working very closely with Israel... we will continue to send a clear message about the costs and consequences of going too far, while at the same time continuing to seek the possibility of a diplomatically brokered outcome that puts Iran’s nuclear program back in the box”. “This is an issue that occupies the president’s attention, my attention, on a daily basis”, Sullivan added, while warning: “Iran’s program has advanced considerably. It is a genuine danger to regional security and to global security, and, indeed, to the U.S.”. The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that Sullivan’s remarks meant the “U.S. has been and will be responsible for all terrorist acts of Zionists [ie, Israel] against Iran's facilities and people, accepting its consequences”.

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