US still seeks diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program: Sullivan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 May 2023 09:14

The White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is expected to meet with the Saudi Crown Prince during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (Reuters)

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Thursday that he will head to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks with Saudi leaders.

Oil production cuts by Saudi-led OPEC+ and differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi have damaged ties between the two countries.

Reuters cited a source as saying that Sullivan is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Sullivan said that representatives from India and the United Arab Emirates will also be simultaneously visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss "new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region."

Former President Donald Trump's administration brokered a number of normalization deals between its Gulf allies and the Israeli occupation.

Touching on this matter, Sullivan said that the US was working hard to normalize relations between "Israel" and Saudi Arabia.

"Ultimately getting to full normalization is a declared national security interest of the United States. We have been clear about that," he said.

Sullivan said that the United States will "take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon," claiming that Washington still seeks a diplomatic outcome to the alleged challenge posed by Tehran.

The US official said that Washington was working with allies including the Israeli occupation to prevent Iran from allegedly developing a nuclear weapon.

"We will continue to send a clear message about the costs and consequences of going too far, while at the same time continuing to seek the possibility of a diplomatically brokered outcome that puts Iran’s nuclear program back into a box."

"At the end of the day, that is the fundamental test - Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They do not today and they cannot have one," he said.