U.S. State Department: Biden Will Not Allow Iran to Acquire Nuclear Weapons

The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department commented on Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America, stating that the United States, in line with the positions of this international oversight body, seeks 'a change in behavior, not just signs of change' from the Islamic Republic. Vedant Patel emphasized during a press conference on Thursday, November 24, in response to a question from Voice of America regarding the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) presence in Iran and his invitation to visit the Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites, that the U.S. aligns with the positions expressed by Grossi in Tehran and 'we are looking for a change in behavior, not just signs of change.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson also stated, 'I think we are hesitant to interpret anything as signs that Iran is willing to change its behavior because ultimately, what we want to see from Iran is a change in behavior and real action, not just signs of something or a willingness to do something.' He continued, 'We agree with the IAEA Director General's statement that the time to ensure Iran's full cooperation with the Agency to resolve its longstanding issues is running out. [Joe Biden] the President and [Antony Blinken] the Secretary of State have made it clear: we want to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, and we will continue to use the various tools at our disposal to achieve this goal.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson warned: 'All options remain on the table, as we have witnessed the escalation of Iran's tensions worldwide, including nuclear tensions, and we see this country's history of non-cooperation with the IAEA on outstanding issues, we believe the Director General's visit to Iran is a suitable action.' Grossi, who traveled to Tehran, stated in a joint press conference with Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic, that achieving results in nuclear negotiations to avoid war is essential. Grossi also referred to his meeting with Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, on the social media platform X. According to reports, Araghchi claimed in this meeting that the Islamic Republic is ready for nuclear negotiations and resolving disputes with the Agency regarding compliance with its nuclear program safeguards, but it will not do so under pressure. This claim comes at a time when Tehran's obstruction of IAEA inspectors' presence in Iran and its lack of transparency regarding uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran are among the contentious issues. The U.S. State Department spokesperson, in response to another question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the three European countries, Britain, Germany, and France, intending to present and approve a resolution against Tehran's non-cooperation with this oversight body at the upcoming IAEA Board of Governors meeting, said: 'We have coordinated closely with our partners, namely the three European countries you mentioned, prior to this Board meeting and strongly support such efforts to hold Iran accountable.' Vedant Patel continued, 'I will not go into further details, but we will continue to work with other members of the IAEA Board to ensure Iran's full cooperation with the Agency.' Informed diplomats say that European powers plan to pressure Tehran by passing a resolution against the Islamic Republic next week due to its weak cooperation with the IAEA. This comes as countering the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities has become one of the priorities of the upcoming U.S. administration following Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election.