U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the United States «prefers» diplomacy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, while not ruling out military action.
«We continue to believe that the most effective way to address the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program is through diplomacy. Diplomacy is never off the table,» he has said in an interview with the Al Arabiya television network.
In this regard, the Secretary of State reiterated that the White House’s «preferred path» is diplomacy, despite the fact that «President (Joe) Biden has also made it clear that we are determined that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon.
Asked whether Washington is considering a military option, Blinken replied that «everything is on the table», after Iran rejected the opportunity to return to the agreement.
The crackdown on protests that have been going on in Iran for months, following the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, has dented Western confidence in the negotiations by imposing sanctions against senior Iranian officials.
«Now our focus is on the many things that have happened since then, including the horrific repression of the Iranian people on the streets of Iran when young people, women in particular, have been standing up for their rights,» Blinken criticized, noting the «tremendous solidarity around the world with the Iranian people.»
«At the same time, we also see Iran supporting Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, providing it with drones and potentially other weapons systems,» he added.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
