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Lloyd Austin wants to reassure Middle East allies that President Biden’s administration is committed to the region.
The United States security chief has vowed to ban Iran from taking up nuclear weapons, while negotiations are still under way on Tehran’s atomic alliance with world powers, in a bid to reassure US allies in the Gulf Arab.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s remarks at Bahrain at the annual Manama Dialogue on Saturday comes as Biden government tries reviving nuclear alliances, which prevented Iran from promoting uranium in exchange for and eliminating economic sanctions.
His words come later the removal of the chaos of the US from Afghanistan, has complained among Gulf states about Washington’s commitment to the region as U.S. security officials say they want to strengthen the force to resolve the problems posed by China and Russia.
“The United States is still committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. And we are committed to the nuclear cause,” Austin told the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
“But if Iran does not agree to take serious action, then we will see all the necessary steps to keep the United States safe.”
A Pentagon official said the US was coming to negotiate more indirectly on renewing the treaty on November 29 by faith.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, although US law enforcement agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003.
Iran’s role in the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Power switch
Since then-President Donald Trump left the United States for the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018, a number of increasingly serious incidents have affected the entire region. This includes the drone attack and the targeting of ships, as well as the crackdown on Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Syria. The US too killed an Iranian army chief in Baghdad in early 2020, when Iran attacked American troops in Iraq with missile launches.
Under Biden, U.S. military officials are watching for a major overhaul of military bases from the Middle East to other parts of the world, though they still have large populations throughout the region. Austin emphasizes this point in his own words: “Our experiences include what our friends can do for us, what we have said and what we can do quickly.”
“Our friends and all our enemies know that the United States can use a lot of power at any time and place we want,” Austin said.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
The US Secretary of State for Refugees, speaking to Reuters about anonymity, said Austin was not expected to make any new commitments in the region during the visit.
Saudi Arabia, one of the United States ‘closest allies in the region, has been disappointed by Biden’ visit.
Biden White House has been urging Saudi Arabia to change its human rights record, including the release of political prisoners, such as women’s rights activists, from prison.
Austin was due to travel to Saudi Arabia in September but the trip was canceled at the last minute. They will not visit Riyadh on this trip.
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