U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced the timing of his visit to Saudi Arabia, stating that he will also visit Israel but did not specify a date for that trip.
Sullivan stated he will visit Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the week to discuss with its leaders, as the United States seeks to strengthen often strained relations with Riyadh. In remarks during a conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Sullivan said the U.S. "will take all necessary measures to ensure that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon," adding that it is still pursuing a diplomatic solution to the challenge posed by Tehran.
He noted that Sullivan will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States have deteriorated significantly for various reasons.
Sullivan also mentioned that representatives from India and the UAE will visit Saudi Arabia to discuss "new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf, as well as the United States and the rest of the region." The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump facilitated a number of normalization agreements between U.S. allies in the Gulf and Israel. Sullivan stated that the U.S. is working diligently to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"Ultimately, achieving full normalization is a declared national security interest of the United States. We have been clear about that," he added.
He continued, "Now, as a sign of my seriousness about how focused we are on this and how seriously we are taking it, I will not say anything else so as not to undermine the efforts we are making on this issue."
Sullivan indicated that the U.S. is still pursuing a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program and expressed regret over Trump's decision in 2018 to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. He stated, "Yes, we will take the necessary actions to ensure Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon."
He remarked, "Ultimately, this is the fundamental test: that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon. They do not have one today and they cannot have one."
Sullivan noted that Washington is working with allies, including Israel, to deter Iran from developing a weapon. He added, "We will continue to send a clear message about the costs and consequences of overstepping, while at the same time continuing to seek the possibility of a diplomatic outcome that puts Iran's nuclear program back in the box."
Sullivan downplayed the importance of the U.S.-Israel tensions that have developed since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the prime ministership late last year. He mentioned that he held a video conference with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday, in which Netanyahu participated in part.
However, he did not specify when Biden would invite Netanyahu to visit Washington.
