U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, suggested that there is a “real opportunity” for newly-elected President Donald Trump to be a key player in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, emphasizing the “real risk” that Iran could reconsider its nuclear doctrine after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, which fundamentally reshaped Middle Eastern politics within just a few days.
“There is a risk that I personally need to inform the incoming team about. I was just in Israel, consulting with the Israelis on this risk,” he told CNN in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
Sullivan explained, “Iran’s conventional capability has been reduced, its representatives have been diminished, and its main client state has been eliminated in Syria.”
He continued, “It’s no surprise that there are voices saying, ‘Hey, maybe we should go for a nuclear weapon now.’”
Although Trump withdrew from a deal in 2018, Sullivan stated, “Perhaps he will face the situation Iran is in this time and actually offer a nuclear deal that restrains Iran’s nuclear ambitions for the long term.”
Sullivan also noted that Trump’s advantage on the world stage is that he is “willing to do things that are unexpected,” citing as an example his meeting with Kim Jong Un.
