Blinken says Iran has had a bad year, but nuclear talks are possible | Political news

Washington, DC – The United States has suggested this year that Iran should rethink its foreign policy and focus on its economy after apparent setbacks.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Israel has managed to strike Tehran’s allies, Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as Iran’s own military capabilities. direct hit in October.

“It’s certainly not been a good year for Iran, and we see that happening every day,” Blinken said.

He added that now Iran must make “fundamental” choices.

“One of the choices he can and should make is to focus on himself and try to build a better, more successful country that serves his people … and stop getting involved in these adventures or failures across the region,” he said.

With President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House next month, Iran finds itself vulnerable to losses suffered by its partners.

Meanwhile, Israel continues its offensive in Gaza, killing more people 45,000 Palestinians. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel continued its plans to expand into Syria. increase settlements there.

“Axis of Resistance”

Israel also emerged victorious from the 14-month war with Hezbollah after a cease-fire agreement required Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has long been considered the spearhead of a network of allies known as the “axis of resistance” that Iran has helped build in the Middle East.

But the Lebanese group came out of the conflict, which ended in a 62-day war, badly wounded.

Although Hezbollah succeeded in inflicting damage on the occupying Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Israel killed the group’s top military and political leaders, including its leader. Hasan Nasrullah.

Moreover, Israeli officials said they destroyed a large part of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal.

The ceasefire, which came into effect on November 27, was supposed to end hostilities, but the Israeli military near diary By striking Lebanon, it signals its intention to use force to prevent Hezbollah from regaining its military strength.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed victory by claiming that it had blocked Israel’s plan to completely withdraw from Lebanon.

Nevertheless, analysts say a beleaguered Hezbollah means a weakened Tehran. If a regional war involving Iran breaks out, the group will no longer be able to act as an effective force against Israel.

with the fall of Tehran’s regional influence was dealt another blow President al-Assadanother ally. His government was ousted earlier this month after opposition fighters seized Damascus.

Again, Iranian leaders predicted disobediencerejecting claims that the “axis of resistance” had been defeated.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei thought that the resistance was over with the events in Syria and the crimes committed by the Zionist regime, the crimes committed by America and the help given to them by some. speech on Tuesday.

“They are completely wrong.”

On Wednesday, Iranian media quoted a high-ranking military official as saying that Iran will respond militarily to Israel’s attack in October.

Iran fired In response to the killing of the Hamas leader, about 200 rockets were fired at Israeli military bases on October 1. Ismail Haniyeh The assassination of Nasrullah in Tehran and in Beirut earlier this year.

Iran’s nuclear program

But Israel’s growing presence in the Middle East has fueled concerns that Iran may develop a nuclear bomb to restore deterrence and protect itself from potential Israeli attacks.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said that the country does not intend to acquire nuclear weapons.

Blinken said Wednesday that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear bomb is “not inevitable.”

“That’s something that might be more of a question now because they’ve lost different tools. They have lost various lines of defense,” he said.

“Of course you’ll see more thought about it, but the costs and consequences for them to follow that route, I think, would be severe.”

Blinken praised 2015 nuclear deal This saw Iran curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on its economy.

Former President Donald Trump, who was re-elected for a second term in November, ultimately scrapped the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018.

Just as the United States has re-imposed and re-imposed sanctions on Iran’s economy more penaltiesIran has begun enriching uranium to higher levels, cutting the time it takes to obtain the material needed for a nuclear weapon from months to weeks.

Outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration held indirect talks with Iran, but the talks ultimately failed to restore the deal.

With Trump taking office next month, the United States is expected to strengthen economic pressure It went further in Iran.

Although the president-elect presents himself as an anti-war politician, he has appointed several foreign policy hawks to key positions. his administration.

“Perspective of negotiations”

Blinken said on Wednesday that diplomacy with Iran is still possible.

“There is a prospect of negotiations. Of course, it depends on what Iran chooses to do and deal with.”

“And of course the incoming administration will have to decide. When President Trump pulled out of the deal last time, he said he wanted a “better, stronger deal.” So let’s see. I think that would be a better way to approach it.”

Blinken added that regardless of which party is in power, Washington will always be committed to ensuring that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

Israel, America’s best ally The region is believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal. Washington, accused by United Nations experts and leading human rights groups of committing genocide in Gaza, has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.

Still, the United States presents itself as the defender of freedom and human rights in the Middle East.

While dealing with external threats, Iran’s government has had to deal with domestic anti-government protests in recent years, which have faced severe security pressures, according to rights groups.

Responding to a question about the possibility of the United States supporting Iranian opposition forces to overthrow the government in Tehran, Blinken called for caution.

“I think that if we look at the last 20 years, our experiences with regime change have not been successful at all,” he said. “So I think we have to have an appropriate level of humility to focus on a problem in this way.”