Blinken on reentering nuclear deal: “We’re not there yet”

“Iran is out of compliance on a number of issues,” Antony Blinken told reporters on Wednesday, his first day as secretary of state. “And it would take some time for it to come back into compliance and time for us then to assess whether it was meeting its obligations. We’re not there yet, to say the least.” The Secretary stressed that Washington would seek to build a “longer and stronger agreement” that would deal with other “deeply problematic” issues.

Blinken also confirmed reports that pending arms sales to Gulf states had been paused and were under review to make sure that they “advance our strategic objectives and our foreign policy.” The transactions reportedly affected were the sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, approved by Donald Trump on his last day in office, and the biggest arms deal in US history, which he set in motion at the start of his term as president.