The United States Worries Iran's Possibility Of Developing Nuclear Weapons As Its Influence Decreases

Jake Sullivan with President Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday the United States government under President Joe Biden was concerned about Iran's possibility of developing nuclear weapons, as its influence in the region declined and weakened, adding it had shared this with President-elect Joe Biden's team.

Israeli attacks on Iranian ally Hamas Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, are said to have undermined Tehran's regional influence.

Israel's attacks on Iranian facilities, including missile and air defense factories, have reduced Tehran's conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.

"It's no surprise that there are voices (in Iran) saying, 'Hey, maybe we need to use nuclear weapons now. Maybe we should revisit our nuclear doctrine,'" Sullivan said.

Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump, as president from 2017 to 2021, withdrew from a deal between Tehran and major world countries that restricted Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.

Sullivan said there was a risk Iran could break its promise not to build nuclear weapons.

"That's a risk we're currently facing. That's a risk I've personally conveyed to the teams to come," Sullivan said, adding he had consulted with US ally Israel.

Trump, who will take office on January 20, could return to his hardline policy against Iran by increasing sanctions against Iran's oil industry.

Sullivan said Trump would have the opportunity to carry out diplomacy with Tehran, given "the weakening of Iran's country."

"Maybe he can overcome this situation, and actually provide a nuclear deal that curbs Iran's long-term nuclear ambitions," he said.