From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Biden’s national security adviser says he’s briefed Trump team on risk Iran might go for the bomb
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The Biden administration is concerned that a weakened Iran could build a nuclear weapon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says, adding that he is briefing US President-elect Donald Trump’s team on the risk.
Tehran has suffered setbacks to its regional influence after Israel’s assaults on its proxies, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and the fall of Iran-aligned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran’s conventional military capabilities, Sullivan tells CNN.
“It’s no wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying, ‘Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now… Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine,'” Sullivan says.
He adds that he has told the Trump team to be “vigilant,” adding: “It’s a risk that I’m personally briefing the incoming team on about the threat of nuclear escalation.”
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump, in his 2017-2021 presidential term, pulled out of a deal between Tehran and world powers that put restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
The Times of Israel Community.