‘Utter outrage’: White House says US in talks with Iran over detained Americans

Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Sunday the US had begun to communicate with Iran over the detention of American citizens, calling the matter a “complete and utter outrage”.

Hawks in Iran and Israel agree: Biden’s bid to salvage nuclear deal must not succeed

Read more

Iran has arrested dozens of dual nationals, including several Americans, in recent years, mostly on espionage charges. Human rights activists accuse Tehran of trying to use the detentions to win concessions from other countries, a charge it dismisses.

Sullivan told CBS’s Face the Nation it was a “significant priority” to get those Americans “safely back home”.

“We have begun to communicate with the Iranians on this issue,” he said. “We will not accept a long-term proposition where they continue to hold Americans in an unjust and unlawful manner.”

The issue represented a “humanitarian catastrophe”, he added.

Any communication between Tehran and Washington about US citizens detained in Iran had been conducted via the Swiss embassy, which handles US interests, rather than through any direct contact, an Iranian news website said.

“Iran’s government has not discussed American prisoners with Washington,” an unnamed source told the website, which is affiliated to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. “All messages have been exchanged through the Swiss embassy in Tehran.”

Sullivan said Biden was “determined” to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that diplomacy was the best way to do that. The US said last week it was ready to talk to Iran about both nations returning to a 2015 accord, abandoned by the Trump administration, that aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons while lifting most international sanctions.

“Iran has not yet responded,” Sullivan said.

The two countries have been at odds over who should take the first step. Iran’s foreign ministry reiterated on Sunday that the US will not be able to rejoin the pact before lifting sanctions. Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance.

Later on Sunday, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said it had struck a deal to continue “necessary” verification and monitoring activities in Iran after Tehran slashed cooperation this week, but there will be less access and no more snap inspections.

“What we agreed is something that is viable, it’s useful to bridge this gap that we are having, salvages the situation now,” Rafael Grossi told a news conference after returning from a trip to Tehran for talks on how his agency will carry out its work given Iran’s plan to scale back cooperation from 23 February.

On CBS, Sullivan also said the US would respond to the SolarWinds hack that hit government agencies last year in “weeks, not months”, as it investigates the suspected Russian cyberattack. He said the response would include a mix of tools seen and unseen, and will not simply consist of sanctions.

“We will ensure that Russia understands where the United States draws the line on this kind of activity,” Sullivan said.