Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Iran could be weeks away from having the material needed for producing a nuclear weapon if it continues to lift the restraints of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Blinken said that President Joe Biden is building a strong team to to seek a “longer and stronger” nuclear deal with Iran than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that was signed by the Obama administration alongside the UK, China, Russia and France — plus Germany and the EU.
The Speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday told an open session of the parliament in Tehran that Sec. Blinken’s remarks were “disappointing.”
“If the US believes in the nuclear deal, it should display its commitment to it in practice instead of setting preconditions,” the Speaker said.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News that was taped on Sunday, Blinken also said the Biden administration is considering new sanctions against North Korea and Russia with the aim of denuclearizing North Korea. The secretary of state also mentioned using new diplomatic initiatives to achieve the same end.
As to Russia, Blinken listed as causes for new sanctions President Putin’s treatment of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Russia’s interference in the 2020 election, the Solar Wind Hack, and the Russian bounties for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan.
“The President could not have been clearer in his conversation with President Putin,” Blinken told NBC.