
Blinken: 'Deal or no deal' US will work to deter Iran nuclear capability
CNN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken committed Sunday to countering hostile actions from Iran regardless of whether the US can reestablish a nuclear agreement with the country, hours after the US special envoy to Iran stressed that a deal "is not inevitable."
"Deal or no deal, we will continue to work together and with other partners to counter Iran's destabilizing behavior in the region," Blinken said during a meeting with in Israel with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The secretary said after the meeting that the US and Israel agree that Iran should not be allowed to have access to nuclear weapons and stressed the efforts to deter Iran's nuclear capability will continue even if negotiations on a nuclear deal ultimately fall apart. "Whether there is a return to the (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) -- the Iran nuclear agreement -- or not, that principle will not change, nor will our commitment to it," he said.