The United States National Security Adviser (NSA), Jake Sullivan, has warned President-elect Donald Trump that Iran may seek to develop nuclear weapons following its recent losses in the ongoing regional conflicts.
Speaking on Sunday in an interview with CNN, Sullivan said Iran has been heavily weakened having faced setbacks to its regional influence which could lead them to reconsider their position on nuclear weapons.
“It’s no wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying ‘Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now… Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine,” Sullivan stated.
According to him, the recent worries for Iran stems from Israel’s recent attacks on its allies, Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the ousting of Syria’s Iran-aligned President Bashar al-Assad.
Sullivan also pointed to Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, such as missile factories and air defenses, which have diminished Tehran’s “conventional capabilities.”
Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but its investment in uranium has increased since Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal during his first term in office.
The agreement, reached between Iran and world powers, was aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for reduction of sanctions.
Sullivan warned of the “real risk” that Iran could ignore the agreement, saying, “It’s a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It’s a risk that I’m personally briefing the incoming team on.”
Trump, who takes office January 20, is expected to intensify sanctions on Iran’s oil sector. He has promised to have a more diplomatic approach to global conflicts but it is left to see the effects this would have on world peace.