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National security advisor Jake Sullivan dodged a question on Sunday about whether the recent protests in Iran would jeopardize nuclear talks.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” the host asked if the demonstrations that erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini would jeopardize ongoing negotiations around restoring the Iran nuclear deal. Authorities say Amini died of a heart attack while in police custody, but her family has accused them of lying. Sullivan talked around the question, saying it is important to call out human rights violations while still negotiating to ensure national security.
“Well, first, George, let me just say that the fact that we are in nuclear talks is in no way slowing us down from speaking out and acting on behalf of the people of Iran,” Sullivan said. “We’re not going to slow down one inch in our defense and advocacy for the rights of the women and citizens of Iran. But at the same time, at the height of the Cold War, at the very moment that Ronald Reagan was calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, he was also engaged in arms control talks, because he knew that, on the one hand, we had to push back vigorously against the repression and violations of human rights of the Soviet Union, and at the same time, we had to protect and defend the security of ourselves, our allies and our partners.
