WASHINGTON, DC – The United States has suggested that Iran reconsider its foreign policy and focus on its economy following apparent setbacks this year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, said Israel succeeded in damaging Tehran’s allies Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as Iran’s own military forces, with direct attacks in October. Ta.
“There is no question that this has not been a good year for Iran, and we are watching it unfold every day,” Blinken said.
He added that Iran now faces a “fundamental” choice.
“One of the choices that nations can and should make is to focus on themselves and on building better, more successful countries that benefit their people…and these adventures across the region. “It means not getting involved in misfortune or misfortune,” he said.
As President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, Iran finds itself in a vulnerable position due to the losses suffered by its partners.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its onslaught in Gaza, killing more than 45,000 Palestinians. After the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel also plans to expand further into Syria and increase its settlements.
“Axis of resistance”
Israel also came through the 14-month war with Hezbollah with a seeming advantage after a cease-fire agreement forced Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has long been seen as the spearhead of a network of allies known as the “Axis of Resistance” that Iran helped build in the Middle East.
However, Lebanese groups were seriously injured in the conflict, which culminated in 62 days of all-out war.
Hezbollah managed to inflict losses on invading Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, but Israel assassinated the group’s military and political leaders, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Additionally, Israeli officials said they had destroyed most of Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal.
A ceasefire that took effect on November 27 was supposed to end hostilities, but Israeli forces have been conducting near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon and have indicated they intend to use force to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military. are.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed victory, claiming it had thwarted Israel’s plan to completely remove Israel from Lebanon.
Nevertheless, analysts say Hezbollah’s predicament means Iran is weakening. If a regional war involving Iran breaks out, the group may no longer be in a position to act as an effective force against Israel.
Tehran’s regional influence suffered a further blow with the ouster of another ally, President al-Assad. His government was overthrown earlier this month after rebel fighters captured Damascus.
Still, Iranian leaders have taken a defiant stance, rejecting claims that the “axis of resistance” has been defeated.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said, “With the development of the situation in Syria and the crimes that the Zionist regime is committing, the crimes that the United States is committing, and the aid that some other countries are giving them, they are “I thought the resistance was over,” he said. Tuesday’s speech.
“They’re completely wrong.”
On Wednesday, Iranian media quoted a senior military official as saying that Iran would respond militarily to the October attack on Israel.
Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israeli military bases on October 1 in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the assassination of Nasrallah in Beirut earlier this year.
Iran’s nuclear program
However, Israel’s growing influence in the Middle East has raised concerns that Iran might build a nuclear bomb to restore deterrence and protect itself from a potential Israeli attack.
But Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the country does not seek nuclear weapons.
Blinken said Wednesday that Iran’s attempt to develop a nuclear bomb is “inevitable.”
“This may be more in question now because they’ve lost different tools. They’ve lost different lines of defense,” he said.
“Certainly there will be further consideration of that, but I think the costs and consequences for them of pursuing that path will be severe.”
Blinken praised the 2015 nuclear deal, under which Iran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions on Iran’s economy.
Former President Donald Trump, who was re-elected to a second term in November, ultimately abandoned the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018.
As the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran’s economy and imposed further penalties, Iran began enriching uranium at high levels, reducing the time needed to obtain material for a nuclear weapon from months to weeks.
The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran, but the talks ultimately failed to revive the deal.
With President Trump taking office next month, the United States is expected to further increase economic pressure on Iran.
Although the president-elect portrays himself as an anti-war politician, he has appointed several foreign policy hawks to key positions in his administration.
“Prospects for negotiations”
Blinken said Wednesday that diplomacy with Iran is still possible.
“Negotiations are a possibility. Of course, it depends on what Iran chooses and whether Iran chooses to engage.”
“And, of course, the next administration will have to make a decision. President Trump said when he left the last deal that he wanted what was called a “better, stronger deal.” Let’s take a look. I think that would be a better approach. ”
Blinken added that no matter which U.S. political party is in power, the United States will always remain committed to ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
Israel, the United States’ largest ally in the region, is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal. The US government has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, which has been accused by UN experts and major human rights groups of committing genocide in Gaza.
Still, the United States claims to be a champion of freedom and human rights in the Middle East.
While dealing with external threats, the Iranian government has had to contend with domestic anti-government protests in recent years and faces a severe security crackdown, human rights groups say.
Asked about the possibility of the United States supporting Iranian rebels to overthrow the government in Tehran, Blinken urged caution.
“If you look at the past 20 years, I don’t think experiments with regime change have necessarily been very successful,” he said. “So I think it takes a healthy dose of humility to focus on issues like this.”
