Iran (Washington Insider Magazine) -US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held a press availability on Wednesday at the Department of State. He hosted Israeli Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, as well as United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss their efforts to “shape a more peaceful region (Middle East)” and “Expand the circle of countries with normalized relations with Israel” in the region. A key subject of this press availability was their efforts to put an end to Iran’s nuclear program. All three of these officials expressed major concern about the Iranian Nuclear program and suggested they would be willing to resort to military force if a diplomatic solution cannot be reached.
The United States along with China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and Germany had established a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 in which Iran agreed to discontinue most of its nuclear program in exchange for significantly reduced sanctions. However, in 2018, the Trump Administration pulled out of the deal due to the belief that Iran was not holding up their end of the bargain. It has now become a predominant goal of the Biden Administration to establish a new deal with Iran that prevents them from developing nuclear weapons. However Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, has been much less cooperative than his predecessor.
Blinken holds the stance that time to act is running thin and while he would much prefer a diplomatic solution, military force may be necessary as Iran continues to lack compliance. Blinken said to the press, “With every passing day and Iran’s refusal to engage in good faith, the runway gets shorter…We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn’t change course.”
Israel appears to have an even stronger sense of urgency than the US on this issue due to their tumultuous relationship with Iran. Afterall, “Iran has publicly stated it wants to wipe us out, we have no intention of letting that happen”, Lapid said to the press. Lapid also stated, “Israel reserves the right to act at any given moment, in any way.. That is not only our right, it is also our responsibility.” Blinken and the Biden Administration have made it clear that the US fully supports Israel in regards to this issue.
As the US, Israel, and numerous allies become more impatient by the day with Iran stalling on this issue, it seems a solution, diplomatic or otherwise, will be reached very soon. Regardless of the solution, it has been made abundantly clear that allowing Iran to develop nuclear bombs is not an option.