“We are committed to addressing the totality of the Iranian threat,” Tillerson said, calling on European partners to stand up to “all of Iran’s malign behavior.”
Speaking at the Wilson Center in Washington, the US top official noted that the nuclear agreement was no longer the only pillar of US policy towards Tehran, pointing out that Washington was committed to face the Iranian threat in all its forms.
“Europe and the United States don’t want another nuclear threat like North Korea, nor are any of our nations at ease with Iran’s attempts at hegemony in the Middle East through support for terrorist organizations, militias on the ground in Iraq and Syria, and an active ballistic missile development program,” he stated.
In the same context, the US Secretary of State emphasized that with the defeat of ISIS on the ground, the UN-led Geneva talks were the basis for rebuilding Syria and finding a political solution, which should not include a role for Assad or his family in power.
He also said that the United States and its European allies “agreed to hold Bashar Assad responsible for the crimes he committed against his people, through the imposition of sanctions.”
