White House Spokesman: We Are Examining ‘Other Options’ Alongside Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
Three days after the conclusion of the seventh round of negotiations to revive the JCPOA in Vienna, White House Spokesperson announced on Monday that the United States is continuing work on other options in consultation and cooperation with a range of American partners.
Jen Psaki said on Monday at the daily press briefing, in response to a question about whether we have reached the stage of imposing sanctions following the conclusion of the seventh round of negotiations that had been previously discussed: “Due to the manner in which the Iranians approached the recent round of negotiations, the President asked our national security team to be prepared in the event diplomacy fails and to look at other options, and we have continued this work in consultation with a range of our partners around the world. … At this point, I have nothing to announce regarding our next steps.”
Concurrently with the White House press briefing, the U.S. State Department spokesman addressed the conclusion of the seventh round of negotiations and, in response to a question about whether the Iranians intend to drag out the talks, emphasized that negotiations are taking place amid Iran’s provocative measures in accelerating its nuclear program, stating that this Iranian action is “unacceptable” to us.
Ned Price went on to say, noting that the pace of negotiations “through which we could witness mutual compliance with the JCPOA” is slower than “the pace of progress of Iran’s nuclear program,” that if this situation continues, the JCPOA will effectively become an “empty shell” or “an irrevivable corpse.”
He continued: “We are not wasting any time thinking about alternative paths, and we have been working on alternatives more than you might think. We are actively discussing alternative options with other members of the P5+1 and with other regional and beyond partners.”
Meanwhile, Emily Horne, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, announced in a media statement the travel of a high-level U.S. delegation headed by Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, to Israel this week and his meeting with Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel.
Emily Horne said in this statement: “Mr. Sullivan, accompanied on this trip by his deputy for Middle Eastern affairs as well as the State Department’s director general for Middle Eastern affairs, will discuss, in addition to conversations with the head of the Israeli government with his Israeli counterpart and other officials of that country, threats emanating from Iran and a range of strategic security issues of mutual concern.”
According to this media statement, Mr. Sullivan will chair the fourth round of bilateral strategic consultative negotiations between the two countries.
Israel has been an opponent of the JCPOA since its conclusion in 2015 and continues to be so. Mr. Bennett has never ruled out taking unilateral measures to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.
President Biden views the revival of the JCPOA as serving his country’s national interests and has repeatedly reiterated his commitment that he will never allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons.
Source: Voice of America
