US administration pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons
Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
The US administration does not believe that negotiations with Iran to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the nuclear program are close to failure, but Washington and Israel will not allow the Iranian government to develop an atomic bomb. This statement was made by a high-ranking representative of the Washington administration during a telephone briefing for journalists, he is quoted by TASS.
“I would not characterize them (negotiations with Iran, – approx. Lenta.ru ) as close to failure. The United States and Israel are completely in solidarity in their desire to ensure that Iran can never acquire nuclear weapons, ”he said.
The official noted that the upcoming visit of US National Security Assistant Jake Sullivan to Israel is not directly related to the progress of negotiations on the nuclear deal. According to him, the trip was planned long ago. The administration spokesman added that Sullivan's trip would be “the culmination of a close engagement that has continued for an entire year.”
Earlier, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the United States is considering further steps with regard to Iran in case of failure of negotiations in Vienna on the nuclear program. She said that US President Joe Biden has instructed the national security team to be prepared for diplomatic failure and to consider other options.
On December 15, Iran announced that it will return to the JCPOA only if the United States completely lifts all sanctions against Tehran and does not withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program. The United States responded by saying that it was ready to lift sanctions from Iran, but only those that contradict the JCPOA.
