Brett McGurk, the US National Security Council’s coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said that Washington was working with its partners to deter Iran and reduce tension in the region.
He noted that the United States understands the suffering of the Iranian people, and leaves room for diplomacy in dealing, but is ready to take any other options.
His comments came during his participation in the closing session of the IISS Manama Dialogue 2021 forum, which concluded in the Bahraini capital on Sunday.
Washington considers the security of the region among its priorities and part of its security, McGurk said, noting that the three successive US administrations during the past two decades had played a major role in protecting the region, whether through direct or indirect support, or through training and empowerment, which reflects the US commitment to the region.
Israeli National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata stressed that his country and the US were partners in deterring Iran and its aspirations to develop nuclear weapons.
The Israeli official said it was time to “deliver a strong and unified message — we will never allow Iran to go nuclear.”
“Iran deployed proxies on our borders, sponsored militias around the Gulf and elsewhere as agents. It engages in terrorist attacks to attack those who object to its regime,” he said.
Hulata called for developing the joint defense system among the countries of the region to help them face the many challenges they are going through, and to seize the current opportunities and benefit from them to the fullest degree.
