U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday to both block Iran from securing nuclear weapons and counter its “dangerous use” of suicide drones throughout the Mideast.
“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, and we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” said Austin during the annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.
“But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.”
Austin’s pledge to America’s Gulf Arab allies came as the Biden administration is scrambling to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.