Shutterstock
Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to the White House, said recently that the U.S. is beginning to communicate with Tehran about American hostages being held in Iran. He stated that President Biden is “prepared to go to the table” and speak with the Iranians and discuss the limitations of their nuclear program.
Sullivan called the captivity of Americans in Iran a “humanitarian catastrophe” and a “complete and utter outrage”. The release of those American hostages is a top priority for the Biden administration. Sullivan says, “We have begun to communicate with the Iranians on this issue, yes, and we will continue to do so as we go forward.” He added, “And our strong message to the Iranians will be that we will not accept a long-term proposition where they continue to hold Americans in an unjust and unlawful manner.”
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with the families of the Americans being detained. At least four of the Americans being held in Iran have dual citizenship.
Recently, the Biden administration took steps toward reinstating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. A deal that would limit Iran’s nuclear program. In 2018 former-President Donald trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal. During Biden’s presidential campaign he pledged to rejoin the agreement.
Sullivan says President Biden is determined to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He says President Biden, “believes that hardheaded, clear-eyed diplomacy is the best way to do that. And so, he’s prepared to go to the table to talk to the Iranians about how we get strict constraints back on their nuclear program. That offer still stands because we believe diplomacy is the best way to do it. Iran has not yet responded. But what’s happened as a result is that the script has been flipped. It is Iran that is isolated now diplomatically, not the United States. And the ball is in their court.”
Sullivan also talked about the broadening SolarWinds hack. Where the U.S. government and private sector were breached by the use of network management software. According to Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, nine federal agencies and nearly 100 private-sector companies were jeopardized. Neuberger believes that Russia is liable for the cyber intrusion.
In accordance with the White House, Sullivan says they are reaching out to the intelligence community to do more to improve the actions made by the Trump administration. This includes, how the hacks occurred, the level of damage, and the magnitude of the breach. “We will ensure that Russia understands where the United States draws the line on this kind of activity.” Sullivan said.
President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladamir Putin last month about the SolarWinds hack. According to Neuberger, President Biden is likely to take executive action to convey cybersecurity holes in a review of the breach.
