Washington – White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the US has begun communicating with Tehran about Americans being held hostage in Iran and said President Biden is “willing to go to the table” to speak to the Iranians about it. restrictions on their nuclear program.
In an interview with Face the Nation, Sullivan called the detention of Americans in Iran a “complete and utter outrage” and “humanitarian catastrophe” and said the release of those hostages will be a top priority for the Biden administration.
“We have started communicating with the Iranians on this issue, yes, and we will continue to do so as we move forward,” Sullivan said. “And our strong message to the Iranians will be that we will not accept a long-term proposal where they continue to hold Americans in an unjust and illegal manner.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to the families of Americans who are being held hostage or improperly detained abroad, and at least four Americans with dual citizenship are imprisoned in Iran.
On Thursday, the Biden administration took an important step toward re-establishing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which former President Donald Trump withdrew from the US in 2018. Unlike his predecessor, during the presidential campaign, Mr. Biden vowed to rejoin the agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
Sullivan said the president is “determined” to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
“He believes stubborn, clear-eyed diplomacy is the best way to do that,” Sullivan said of Mr. Biden. “And so he is willing to come to the table to talk to the Iranians about how to get strict restrictions on their nuclear program. That offer stands because we believe diplomacy is the best way to do it. Iran. has not yet responded. As a result, the script has been flipped. Iran is now diplomatically isolated, not the United States. And the ball is theirs. “
Sullivan also discussed the sweeping SolarWinds hack, which violated network management software used by the US government and the private sector. About 100 private sector companies and nine federal agencies were compromised, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology Anne Neuberger said Wednesday. Neuberger said Russia is likely behind the cyber-breach.
Sullivan said the White House has asked the intelligence community to do more work to tighten the attribution of the Trump administration, including on how the hack took place, the extent of the damage, and the magnitude and scale of the breach.
“It will take weeks, not months, to prepare an answer,” he said. “That response will be a mix of tools that we see and don’t see. And it won’t just be sanctions because, as you say, a response to a series of activities like this one requires a more elaborate set of tools, and that’s what the administration plans to do. “
Sullivan said the Biden administration is in the process of figuring out how best to respond to the break-in.
“We will make sure Russia understands where the United States draws the line in this type of activity,” he said.
Mr Biden brought up the SolarWinds hack to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two spoke last month. Neuberger said the president is expected to take executive action to address the cybersecurity gaps identified in an assessment of the breach.