US explores all options to limit Iran’s influence and nuclear ambitions
Photo: US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Getty Images)
The US is not ruling out any options for exerting influence on Iran. The goal is to stop Iran’s support for militant groups in the Middle East and to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons, reports ABC News, citing US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
According to Waltz, Trump is not excluding any actions against Iran in order to halt its support for armed groups in the Middle East, such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Waltz also emphasized that the US president has repeatedly stressed that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
"What the president has completely – has repeatedly said is that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. All options are on the table to ensure it does not have one," he stated.
However, the advisor did not specify which options are under consideration. He only mentioned that potential actions could include measures against Iran's missile program, as well as other forms of weaponry.
"But, either way, we cannot have a world with the ayatollahs with their finger on the nuclear button. We cannot have a situation that would result in an arms race across the Middle East in terms of nuclear proliferation," Waltz added.
US strikes on targets in Yemen
Notably, the US launched large-scale strikes on the Houthis in Yemen after the group attacked ships in the Red Sea. Iran reacted to Washington's actions.
In the early days of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order regarding the Yemeni Houthis. According to the document, the group was placed on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Additionally, President Donald Trump announced that the US had begun large-scale military strikes on dozens of targets in Yemen on Saturday.
