Iran could be “weeks away” from having sufficient material to develop a nuclear weapon if it continues to violate the 2015 nuclear deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday in an interview with NBC News.
Blinken said that President Joe Biden’s administration would consider new sanctions against North Korea as well as other possible actions against Russia. It was the new secretary’s first television interview since taking office last week.
He told NBC it could be only “a matter of weeks” if Iran continues to lift restraints in the JCPOA that the United States pulled out of under president Donald Trump.According to NBC, when pressed about whether the release of detained Americans would be an absolute condition for an expanded nuclear treaty, he did not commit.
“Irrespective of… any deal, those Americans need to be released. Period,” he told the network. “We’re going to focus on making sure that they come home one way or another.”
On Sunday, Iran rejected any new negotiations or changes to the participants in Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, after French President Emmanuel Macron said new talks should include Saudi Arabia.
The remarks came after the White House confirmed that veteran diplomat Robert Malley was named special US envoy for Iran. A key member of former president Barack Obama’s nuclear negotiating team, Malley is a controversial figure in Israel, where he is viewed as soft on Tehran and tough on Jerusalem.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by state media on Saturday as saying: “The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that is non-negotiable, and parties to it are clear and unchangeable.”
Biden’s new administration has said it would rejoin the deal, which the Trump administration exited in 2018, but only after Tehran resumes full compliance with its terms.
“It is clear the Iranians are playing hardball, which is why the pressure on them cannot let up,” said an Israeli official. “There’s only a hope the Iranians will compromise if they believe that’s the only way the pressure will be lifted. If pressure is lifted prematurely, one can expect no concessions from the Iranians whatsoever.”
During his confirmation hearings, Blinken said the Biden administration would consult with its allies in the Middle East, including Israel, before engaging in talks with Iran. Israeli officials have expressed hope that this means there will be a positive dialogue moving forward, and emphasized the need to completely stop Iran’s nuclear program.
Formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal completed by Iran and six major powers committed Iran to restricting its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief from the United States and others. Israel and Gulf Arab states strongly opposed the deal as not being stringent enough.
During his interview, Blinken did not commit to specific sanctions against Moscow as it reviewed the ongoing situation involving jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Russian election interference, the SolarWinds hack and alleged bounties against US soldiers in Afghanistan.
However, he did say he was “deeply disturbed by the violent crackdown” on protesters across Russia that called to release Navalny from jail.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed on Twitter that the US was behind the protests, alleging a “gross intervention in Russia’s affairs,” but the demonstrations show that Russians are fed up with “corruption” and “autocracy,” Blinken told NBC News.
“We are reviewing a series of Russian actions that are deeply, deeply disturbing,” he said. “The president could not be clearer in his conversation with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”
Blinken addressed China’s lack of transparency, calling it a “profound problem” that must be addressed, and added that Beijing is “falling far short of the mark” when it comes to allowing experts access to Wuhan sites where the coronavirus was discovered.
He also slammed China for its actions in Hong Kong. “We see people who were, again, in Hong Kong standing up for their own rights, the rights that they thought were guaranteed to them,” he said. “If they’re the victims of repression from Chinese authorities, we should do something to give them haven.”
He said that the US should rejoin international institutions “because when we pull back, China fills in.”
On North Korea, he said that the State Department is reviewing its policy “across the board” regarding Pyongyang to determine the most effective ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Additional sanctions are possible, he noted.
Speaking about the US relationship with Saudi Arabia, Blinken said that the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 “an outrageous act against a journalist and a US resident.” But, according to NBC, he declined to condemn Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA concluded had ordered Khashoggi’s murder.
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