US has ‘urgent’ responsibility to ensure Iran doesn’t get nuclear weapons: Blinken

President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be the top US diplomat for his incoming administration said Tuesday that the US had an “urgent” responsibility to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

“An Iran with a nuclear weapon ... would be an Iran that will be even more dangerous than it already is,” Anthony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We have an urgent responsibility to do what we can,” he said, adding that there was a need to include regional allies in any future nuclear talks.

Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat like Blinken, warned that Iran was at the top of the list of worries, followed by China, Russia and North Korea.

“Returning to the JCPOA without concrete” efforts to address Iran’s ballistic missiles and malign regional activity would be a mistake, Menendez said.

Blinken said Iran's malign activity and missile programs would need to be addressed.

The Biden nominee said he would seek to “revitalize” American diplomacy and “show up again.” He said he would “reinvigorate” the diplomacy of the US and work closely with governments and partners around the world.

“Growing rivalry with China, Russia, and other authoritarian states” would need to be faced, Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Blinken admitted that the US had work to do “at home” to “enhance our standing abroad.”

Blinken also applauded outgoing President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure peace deals between Arab states and Israel, including the Abraham Accords, as well as his tough approach on China.