Jake Sullivan: Biden Will Justify to His Chinese Counterpart That Iran's Actions Are Destabilizing

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, answered several questions regarding President Joe Biden's agenda during his visit to his Chinese counterpart and Middle East security in a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, November 14. In response to a question about what Joe Biden will tell Xi Jinping, the President of China, regarding curbing attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups on American forces in the Middle East, Sullivan stated: 'From our perspective, the People's Republic of China should be a partner for any responsible country seeking to de-escalate rather than escalate tensions in the Middle East.' He added, 'Therefore, President Biden will draw President Xi's attention to [this issue] that Iran's escalatory and destabilizing actions, which undermine the overall stability of the Middle East, are not in the interest of the People's Republic of China or any other responsible country.' Sullivan noted, 'The People's Republic of China, of course, has a relationship with Iran, and if it wishes, it can convey these points directly to [the ears of] the Iranian government.' The United States began its third round of attacks on Iranian-linked facilities in Syria on Monday, November 13. In the press conference on Tuesday, Sullivan was asked how the U.S. claimed this action was partly to prevent further attacks against American forces, yet within hours after the attack, American forces were attacked at least four times. How is this a success? Sullivan responded that the goal of the United States is to ensure the security of American forces and 'if we are hit, we will respond to it.' He emphasized that this 'is what we have done, and this is what we will continue to do.' Sullivan added that the results of this action will be seen over time, not overnight. The National Security Advisor stated that Biden has been clear on this issue and 'we will continue to pursue it' because from the President's perspective, 'he is obligated to look after our forces in Iraq and Syria and the physical security of all of them and to protect them.' In response to the question, 'Is it fair to say that the conflict in the Middle East is now at least on three fronts - Israel-Hamas, Israel-Hezbollah, and the Islamic Republic's proxies and the United States?' he replied: 'I think that is the case - I do not necessarily describe it as a three-way conflict, [but] I acknowledge that there is an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, there is an ongoing military operation in Gaza, and yes, we have been attacked multiple times by the IRGC proxy groups in Iraq and Syria and have responded to it. All of this is true.' Sullivan: Biden Seeks to Revive U.S.-China Military Relations; The White House: Iran's Nuclear Program Will Be on the Agenda for the Meeting of the U.S. and Chinese Presidents; Sullivan: The U.S. Does Not Want to See War in Gaza Hospitals; CENTCOM: Strengthening U.S. Forces in the Middle East is 'a Show of Resolve in Action'; The U.S. Assured Saudi Arabia of Support Against Iranian Threats; U.S. Airstrikes Again Target Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria; U.S. Strikes Again Against Iranian Proxies; Kanani: We Hope America's 'Wrong Policies' Will Be Corrected.