Antony Blinken will not rule out US military action on Sunday if Iranian leaders do not return to the negotiating table next month to resume discussions on preventing them from developing nuclear weapons.
‘The Iranians have now said they’re coming back for talks at the end of November – we’ll see if they really do, it’s going to be important,’ foreign minister speaking to CBS Face the Nation host Margaret chuckled. Brennan.
Blinken said while diplomacy was the preferred path forward, the administration was also exploring “other options”.
‘We were looking at other options as and when required. Iran Not ready to engage in good faith quickly,’ Blinken said. ‘To pick up where we left off in June after these negotiations were interrupted by a change of government in Iran, and to see if we can get back to mutual compliance – both countries back in agreement as soon as possible. are coming.’
When Brennan emphasized whether those options included possible military action, Blinken said: ‘As we always say, every option is on the table.’
Blinken is visiting Rome with Joe Biden later this week for the G20 summit and meetings with his counterparts as president.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the Iranians expected to return to talks on the nuclear deal in November.
‘Here in Rome, the President met with Chancellor Merkel of Germany, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, with French President Emmanuel Macron, and we work with our closest allies to address this challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear are in very close coordination. Program,’ updated on Blinken Sunday. ‘And we are also working with all of Russia and China.’
He added: ‘We still believe that diplomacy is the best course of action to get the nuclear program back into the box it was under the agreement – the so-called JCPOA.’
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement or JCPOA, is an agreement between Iran and the P5+ countries – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, as well as the European Union .
The agreement was signed on 14 July 2015 in Vienna under the leadership of President Barack Obama.
On May 8, 2018, Donald Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the JCPOA and sanctions on Iran went into effect in November 2018, allowing the country to resume development of ballistic missiles.
“Unfortunately, Iran is proceeding aggressively with its program,” Blinken said on Sunday. ‘The time it takes for a nuclear weapon to produce enough fissile material is getting shorter and shorter.’
‘The other thing that is falling short is the runway we have where if we come back into compliance with the agreement and Iran comes back into compliance, we really reap all the benefits of the agreement.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Joe Biden before their meeting on Iran
‘Iran is learning enough, doing enough so that it starts to become a problem.’
Over the weekend, an Air Force bomber escorted by fighter jets of US allies flew over major waterways in the Middle East, where US and Iranian naval ships have encountered.
In a statement on Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom) announced that the B-1B had passed over Lancer Bay, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Oman. It also flew over the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of world oil production at the top of the gulf that Iran considers a strategic area of influence.
‘The Bomber Task Force mission,’ Centcom said, ‘was intended to deliver a clear message of reassurance.’
Fighter jets from Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, all US allies opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran, escorted US bombers in their respective airspaces.
“Military readiness for any contingency or mission – from crisis response to multilateral exercises to one-day presence patrols – depends on credible partnerships,” said CentCom Commander General Frank McKenzie, the US military’s chief of staff in the Middle East.
Biden met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Iran on the first day of the G20 in Italy on Saturday.
The president was asked when the nuclear talks with Tehran would be resumed.
“They are scheduled to resume,” he said without specifying a timeline.
White House staff previewed that Saturday afternoon’s meeting was a way for leaders to get on the same page about the Iran nuclear deal.
In a joint statement issued later, the leaders said they shared a “serious and growing concern” over Iran’s “dangerous” actions to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
The leaders said they expected a negotiated solution to bring both Iran and the US back into full compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, which the former Trump pulled out of the country.
“In this spirit, we welcome President Biden’s clearly demonstrated commitment to the United States to remain in full compliance with the JCPOA and to remain in full compliance, as long as Iran does the same,” the leaders’ statement said. ,” the statement of the leaders said.
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