US Says Tehran Did Not Take Nuclear Talks ‘Seriously’

A top US national security official says Iran did not take the nuclear negotiations seriously and, instead, decided to brutalize its people and support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby made the comments during a press briefing on Friday, emphasizing that President Joe Biden will not allow the Islamic Republic of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and "He's serious about it."

“But we also have to make sure that we have all the capabilities and resources available to us in the region and beyond to defend our national security interests. That’s what the President said. That’s what we’re focused on,” noted Kirby.

In recent months, US officials have repeatedly emphasized that due to the violent suppression of protests in Iran, reviving the JCPOA is not on their agenda, and the government has focused on supporting the Iranian people. Talks to revive the agreement reached a stalemate last year.

The US and its European allies have been imposing more sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities engaged in human rights violations and supplying arms to Russia.

Following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini in the custody of Tehran's morality police in September, Iranian cities have been the scene of unprecedented nationwide protests.

According to human rights sources, at least 520 people have been killed during these protests in the last four months, and dozens of children have been identified among the dead.