U.S. Willing to Use Military to Stop Iran From Getting Nuclear Weapon

The U.S. will not rule out military intervention to keep Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, according to one official.

Speaking at an event put on by the Carnegie Endowment think tank on Monday morning, Robert Malley, the State Department's special envoy to Iran, discussed the U.S. approach to Iran and its nuclear capabilities. Malley said that the U.S. remains committed to preventing Iranian nuclear armament through diplomatic means, according to CNN's Jennifer Hansler.

However, as a last resort, Malley said that the U.S. would not rule out "a military option if necessary" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"There is nothing now that we are not doing because we are thinking of the potential of a potential nuclear deal in the future," Malley added, according to Hansler. "We're not tying our hands because of this hope that someday there'll be a deal."

In 2015, the U.S. was among the nations involved in crafting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement that would have Iran cut back on its nuclear enrichment and development programs. The deal also involved China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union.

While the deal was confirmed in July of 2015, former President Donald Trump signaled in the early months of his time in office that he would move away from the deal, before finally withdrawing the U.S. in May of 2018. Following the death of General Qassam Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike authorized by Trump in January of 2020, Iran said that it would no longer abide by the terms of the agreement, though it became more open to negotiations following the election of Joe Biden.

On Monday, Malley clarified that there has been "no movement" on the U.S. rejoining JCPOA since "late August, early September." He said that, with little progress being made, the U.S. would not be putting much of a focus on the deal, according to Hansler.

"Nothing's happening on the nuclear deal so we're not going to spend our time, waste our time on it, if nothing's going to happen," Malley said.

Malley on Monday also defended the Biden administration's continued efforts to make a nuclear deal with Iran amid calls from activists for the White House to cease negotiations. The calls come in the wake of harsh responses by the Iranian government to protests sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini and its alleged efforts to supply Russia with military equipment. Malley stressed that sanctions have been imposed against Iranian leaders on both counts.

In response to an inquiry from Newsweek, a State Department spokesperson said that President Biden is in agreement with the stance expressed by Malley.

"President Biden is absolutely committed to never allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," the spokesman said. "We believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal, but President Biden has also been clear that we have not removed any option from the table, and that a military option remains as a last resort."

Updated, 11/1/2022, 6:30 p.m. EST: This article was updated to include a comment from the U.S. State Department.