(Reuters) – The Biden administration fears that a weakened Iran could develop a nuclear weapon, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday (22), adding that he had informed President-elect Donald Trump’s team about the risk .
Iran suffered losses in its regional influence after its allies, the Palestinian Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, followed by Iran-aligned Iran.
Israeli attacks on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran’s conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.
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“No wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying, ‘Hey, maybe we need to buy a nuclear weapon right now… Maybe we have to review our nuclear doctrine,’” Sullivan said.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but since Trump, in his presidential term from 2017 to 2021, announced the withdrawal from the agreement between Tehran and world powers that imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
Sullivan said there was a risk that Iran would abandon its promise not to develop nuclear weapons.
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“It’s a risk we’re trying to stay vigilant about right now. It is a risk that I am personally informing the new team about,” Sullivan said, adding that he also consulted with Israel.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, could return to his hard-line policy toward Iran by increasing sanctions against Iran’s oil industry.
