Donald Trump has been warned by the White House that a weakened and frustrated Iran could now decide to build a nuclear weapon.
On Sunday, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said that the Joe Biden administration was concerned by the risk as he briefed the president-elect on developments in Tehran.
Iran regional influences have suffered severe setbacks after Israel’s assaults on its allies – Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, followed by the fall of Iran-aligned Bashar al-Assad, the now-deposed Syrian president.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran’s “conventional military capabilities”, Mr Sullivan told CNN.
“It’s no wonder there are voices [in Iran] saying: ‘Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now... Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine’,” Mr Sullivan said.