(AGENPARL) – gio 02 marzo 2023 You are subscribed to Department Press Briefings for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
03/01/2023 07:43 PM EST
Ned Price, Department Spokesperson
2:09 p.m. EST
MR PRICE: Good afternoon. Good to see everyone. Two announcements at the top and then we’ll turn to your questions.
[] First, the United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, President-elect Tinubu, and all political leaders following the declaration by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, on the results of the February 25th presidential election. This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy. Each of the top three candidates was the leading vote-getter in 12 states, a remarkable first in Nigeria’s modern political era, reflecting the diversity of views that characterized the campaign and the wishes of Nigeria’s voters.
We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle in Nigeria. Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes. We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections.
There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or any party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms. We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time.
We commend the active participation of civil society and the media for advocating electoral – for advancing electoral norms and political discourse on issues of importance to Nigeria’s citizens. We note with concern reports that numerous members of the media were attacked during the course of the election, and we urge the government, security forces, political actors, and all citizens to respect the media’s critical role by refraining from any damaging acts against them and ensuring accountability for such acts when they do occur. Meanwhile, we also congratulate the Nigerian people, especially the large number of youths who are relatively new to the political process, for demonstrating their strong commitment to their country’s democracy.
[] Next and finally, as we continue to see the death toll rise, I want to offer our sincere condolences to the people of Greece for the tragic loss of life in the train collision that happened overnight in the town of Tempe. At this time, 36 fatalities and 85 injuries are reported, making this the deadliest train collision in Greece’s history. We send our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost and our best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured. That was precisely the message that Secretary Blinken conveyed earlier today to his Greek counterpart when they spoke over the phone.
The United States stands with our friend Greece, and we commend the incredible dedication of first responders who are working tirelessly to save lives and attend to the injured.
With that, happy to take questions. Yeah, Janne – or Nike, go ahead.
[]QUESTION: Sure. Can we go to Afghanistan and Taliban?
MR PRICE: Sure.
QUESTION: Do you have anything on the three-year anniversary of Doha Agreement, and do you have anything to the Taliban statement where it says that it’s going to reopen the universities but only for male students?
MR PRICE: Well, first, to your question on the three-year anniversary of the U.S.-Taliban agreement, I believe this was just yesterday that we marked three years. And in the three years since the former administration signed this agreement with the Taliban, I think the implications have become clear. The agreement empowered the Taliban, it weakened our partners in the Afghan government, and committed to withdrawing our troops a few months after President Biden’s inauguration with no clear plan for what should come next, despite imposing a deadline.
That said, we have seen Mullah Baradar’s own statement, and we of course disagree with the key points in his own statement. Namely, the Taliban have not fulfilled their own commitments – the commitments that they made in the Doha Agreement. While they have taken some unsatisfactory steps regarding certain terrorist groups in Afghanistan, it is well known that the Taliban sheltered then-al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, which flies in the face of the agreement. It was only because the United States Government was resolute in our commitment to take decisive action in the face of such threats that we removed Ayman al?Zawahiri and he is no longer the leader of al-Qaida.
Similarly, the Taliban also have not fulfilled their Doha commitment to engage in political dialogue leading to a negotiated settlement. That remains to be done. We shouldn’t forget that the Doha Agreement envisioned a peaceful settlement, not a takeover on the part of the Taliban. In fact, it was titled, quote, “An Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan.” We continue to call on the Taliban to fulfill the commitments that they made to not only the United States in the context of this document but, most importantly, to their own people, the Afghan people that are still waiting for the Taliban to make good on those commitments.
Relatedly, we are watching very closely to see what happens later this month when we expect Afghanistan’s schools to reopen. We stand with the Afghan people in calling on the Taliban to allow women and girls to have access to education and to participate fully in society. The Taliban’s decision to close secondary schools to girls last March violated again the very promises the Taliban made to their own people. It’s had a significant impact in turn on our engagement with Taliban representatives.
After this decision, the Taliban claimed this was a matter of procedure and arrangements. They claimed it would be quickly reversed. Instead, an order came on December 20th from the so-called Higher Education Ministry stating that women cannot attend universities either. And with the implementation of this decree, half of Afghan’s population – fully half of Afghanistan’s population will be unable to access education beyond primary school.
Education is an internationally recognized human right. It’s essential to Afghanistan’s growth, to its economic stability, to its potential for prosperity as well. There’s a very simple reason why no other country on the face of the Earth bars women and girls from obtaining an education. No country, simply put, can thrive when half of its population is arbitrarily held back.
QUESTION: Follow-up?.
MR PRICE: A follow-up on this? Go ahead.
QUESTION: Yes, sir. SIGAR just released their statement as well yesterday, and one of the major things that they had pointed out was the corruption made in different organizations. And one of the commitment President Biden when he was taking power was that he was going to do accountability of this corruption. It’s been a year. I – we do not see any accountability there. And two of the most popular individuals in this corruption, and they’re named in the SIGAR’s report as well, are President Ghani and his ambassador here in Washington, D.C., who later on became national security – Mohib. They are both U.S. citizens, and they – according to many reports, they have outside the country millions of dollars of – worth of assets. What accountability has been done in one year?
MR PRICE: Well, you’re talking about two distinct issues. One is the issue of anti-corruption, and the focus that the United States had on anti-corruption with the previous government in Afghanistan. That of course was a longstanding focus of the United States over the course of our 20-year engagement in Afghanistan. That chapter, of course, came to a close at the end of 2021, and since then the United States Government has been under no illusions that the Taliban will be responsible stewards of their country’s economy, of the finances that are now in some cases under their control.
That is why rather than focus in precisely the same way in anti?corruption, we are very focused on channeling the humanitarian support, channeling the macroeconomic stability and macroeconomic support that we’re providing to Afghanistan in ways that in essence bypass the Taliban. You see that very clearly in the trust fund that the United States and our international partners with the assistance of Switzerland established for the $3.5 billion in frozen assets – previously frozen assets that we announced last year. You see that very clearly in the hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance that has not gone through the Taliban’s coffers but has gone directly to our operational partners on the ground, humanitarian partners that are doing the work that is so vital to Afghanistan’s people, and especially vital given what the Taliban have been unwilling or in many cases unable to do for their own people. So that’s been our focus now.
QUESTION: So – no, I’m sorry, I think I’m – maybe I’m not clear in my point. U.S. citizens who were officials in Afghanistan, the accountability has not taken place in last one year except State Department official Mr. Olson was just – he went through some harsh things. But beside that we do not see any accountability of millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayers’ money that was robbed by these citizens, and they have stashed it across – on the other side of the borders. Any accountability which President Biden had promised that he will be taking? No action has been taken about that.
MR PRICE: There have been a number of reports about corruption on the part of the former government. We’re of course doing everything we can to look into those reports. Many of those reports we have not been able to substantiate, but working with allies and partners around the world, if we are able to substantiate those significant reports of corruption, we of course will seek accountability, as you would expect.
Alex.
[]QUESTION: Thank you, Ned. Moving to Russia, if you don’t mind, can you please confirm the reports that Russia handed an official note on suspension of New START to U.S.?
MR PRICE: Alex, I can confirm there has been an – the exchange of a diplomatic note between Russia and the United States. I think it is fair to say that what we have learned from that diplomatic note did not tell us anything we didn’t already know from the public statements that have emanated from Moscow.
Our position remains the same. Russia’s decision to unilaterally suspend its participation in New START – it is unfortunate, but more so it is irresponsible. It is the responsible thing to do for nuclear powers to engage in arms control, to engage in other tools of strategic stability that, throughout the height of the Cold War and since the dawn of the nuclear era, have prevented an exchange between nuclear powers. Russia is not better off in a world where the two largest nuclear powers are – no longer engage in bilateral arms control. And Russia’s willingness to promote instability and use irresponsible nuclear rhetoric endanger every nation on this planet.
Russia’s purported suspension of New START will, at the same time, not stop the United States from continuing to support Ukraine. We are doing precisely what we told President Putin and the Kremlin and the rest of the world that we would do should Moscow continue with its aggression last year. Mutual compliance with New START, we believe and we are confident, strengthens the security interests of the United States, our allies and partners, but also of Russia, the Russian people, and the rest of the world.
That is why we are working to preserve the treaty. We continue to urge Moscow to resume full compliance with the treaty. Even as we explore our next steps, we are demonstrating that responsible leadership that we think ought to be replicated in Moscow. We remain in full compliance with the treaty, including New START’s numerical limits, and we’re examining exactly what impact this purported suspension will have on the state of the treaty. But how Russia chooses to respond, how Russia chooses to proceed will help inform considerations of appropriate U.S. responses.
Regardless, we are going to continue to see to it that we are postured appropriately. And if we see Russia take steps that require any sort of change in our own nuclear posture or approach, we will make those adjustments as is appropriate.
Janne.
QUESTION: I’m sure you have seen Sergei Ryabkov’s statement from this morning saying that they will not review their position on this unless the U.S. changes position on Ukraine. How did you read that?
MR PRICE: I’m not going to parse the Russian statement. I – Alex, I can only tell you that we are – we continue to be prepared to engage meaningfully with Russia on arms control and on New START specifically. We want to work constructively with Russia on this; we believe it’s in our interests. We also believe it’s the responsible thing to do. It’s the responsible thing to do for the American people. It’s the responsible thing to do for the Russian people. It is the responsible thing to do for people around the world. Just as we were last year when we were set to meet with representatives of the Russian Federation in Cairo, we remain ready to meet in the Bilateral Consultative Commission to discuss U.S. and Russian concerns related to compliance with the treaty and to discuss all other issues related to implementation of this treaty. We believe it is that important.
Yes, Janne.
[]QUESTION: Thank you, Ned. I have two questions. Regarding Russia, South Korea has expanded export sanctions to Russia. Meanwhile, Russia warned South Korea about the threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Can this be seen as meaning that peace on the Korean Peninsula depends on Russia?
MR PRICE: I think principally peace on the Korean Peninsula is under the purview of the countries on the Korean Peninsula. This is principally a matter between the ROK and the DPRK. Of course, the ROK is a treaty ally of ours. We have a steadfast commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea, of our other treaty ally that is consistently threatened by the DPRK – Japan. We are going to stand by those commitments in the face of the DPRK’s continued provocations, its testing of ICBM systems, its launches of ballistic missiles, its other malign and provocative activities. You have seen us in word and in deed underscore the commitment we have to our South Korean allies, to our Japanese allies, even as we have also underscored our willingness and our readiness to engage in serious dialogue and diplomacy.
It is the DPRK that has consistently turned down those offers; it has consistently failed to pursue the outstretched hand that we have extended. It is the DPRK that has consistently ignored our very simple statement that we harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK. Our only intent is to find ways to meaningfully advance what is our ultimate policy goal, and that’s the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
QUESTION: On the North Korea – are there any concrete actions regarding the redesignation of North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism?
MR PRICE: Janne, these are issues that we’re always looking at. We’re always looking at two things – we’re looking at facts, and we’re looking at the law. When it comes to facts, we are keeping a close eye, of course, on all of the provocations, on all of the threats that the DPRK poses to our allies in the ROK, to our allies in Japan, to our allies and partners throughout the Indo-Pacific, and of course to the United States and our people as well.
When it comes to the State Sponsor of Terrorism, that is a statute that was written into law by Congress. It is our task to apply the facts that we see and we observe to the law as it was written by Congress. There are cases where the conduct of countries around the world have merited that designation and have qualified for that designation as it is written within the law. If that is the case with the DPRK, we’ll act accordingly.
QUESTION: Follow-up?
MR PRICE: Follow-up on this? Sure, go ahead.
QUESTION: The U.S. has stressed the importance of cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan in dealing with North Korea. But South Korea-Japan relations have not – have been less than great over the past few years. Yesterday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made an apparent overture toward Japan, calling it a partner who shares the same values. So I was wondering if you have any comments or reaction to the South Korean president’s message or remarks.
MR PRICE: Absolutely. So first, let me say generally that bilateral cooperation between the United States and our treaty allies is important, but so too is trilateral cooperation. And trilateral cooperation is an area in which we have invested much of our energy. President Biden and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts sat down at the leader level – the first time a leader-level trilateral engagement has taken place in some five years. Secretary Blinken, Deputy Secretary Sherman, our Special Envoy for the DPRK Sung Kim, and others have participated in trilateral engagements precisely because this is such an important forum for us collectively to address the threats and challenges that the DPRK poses. But this is also a forum that is so valuable for broader challenges as well as opportunities within the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
When it comes to President Yoon, he has articulated a vision for a more cooperative, future-oriented relationship with Japan based on the shared values that those two countries have together. We very much support this vision, and we further believe U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation is critical to addressing the challenges that our three countries collectively are confronting in the 21st century. We’ll continue to move forward trilaterally to embrace opportunities to advance our common regional and international priorities, and we applaud – we do applaud – both the Republic of Korea President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida for their efforts to improve bilateral relations in recent months. We’re encouraged that Japan and the ROK are working together to resolve their history-related issues in a way that promotes healing and reconciliation, and we’ll continue to be a stalwart ally to both bilaterally, but again, in the trilateral context as well.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) talking about the Japanese making another unreasonable claim that Takeshima, Dokdo, is Japanese territory. How do you think Japan’s assertion will affect the trilateral cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea and Japan?
MR PRICE: There remain issues for our allies to work out among themselves, to discuss among themselves, and we hope to find a productive way forward that will allow us to continue the progress that we’ve seen in the context, in the bilateral context between Japan and the ROK in recent months, and that will allow us to build on the progress that we’ve seen in the trilateral context between Japan, the ROK and the United States over the course of the past two years.
Yes, Michel.
[]QUESTION: Ned, to what extent the U.S. is concerned about the escalation of tension between Israelis and Palestinians, and between the Israelis themselves?
MR PRICE: So Michel, we have been – we have expressed a tremendous amount of concern in recent days. As you know, we have seen far too much violence, far too much bloodshed. We have roundly condemned and rejected the terrorist attacks that Israel has suffered in recent days. Of course, on Monday we noted the death of a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who was killed outside Jericho in the latest terrorist attack that we forcefully condemn. In recent days we’ve also seen violence from settlers in the West Bank, violence that has resulted in the loss of life, the destruction of property, and only exacerbated the tensions that we’ve spoken to a great deal in recent days.
All of this comes in the context of the agreement between the parties that was reached in Aqaba, Jordan over the weekend. That is an agreement that is an – important in and of itself in that the parties sat down together, Israelis and Palestinians together with their American, Egyptian, and Jordanian counterparts, to devise a way forward. But again, what is most important is implementation of what resulted from Aqaba, to see to it that the parties themselves actually fulfill the commitments they have made to one another, the commitments that they made in that broader context.
We’re continuing to watch that very closely. We’re continuing to urge the parties to take steps that concretely result in de-escalation, that serve to ease the tensions that have only escalated in some ways in recent days. It’s important that the parties take these steps; only the parties themselves are the ones who can embark on these steps.
QUESTION: Meanwhile, Israeli finance minister called the Israeli Government to wipe out Huwara village, the Palestinian village. Do you have any comment on that?
MR PRICE: I want to be very clear about this. These comments were irresponsible. They were repugnant; they were disgusting. And just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence. We call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials to publicly and clearly reject and disavow these comments. We condemn, as we have consistently, terrorism and extremism in all of its forms. And we continue to urge that there be equal measures of accountability for extremist actions regardless of the background of the perpetrators or the victims.
We’ve already noted our concern, as I did just a moment ago, about the widescale, indiscriminate violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians in this very town, in Huwara, that led to the death of one Palestinian man, more than 300 residents injured, four seriously, and the torching of an estimated – of numerous Palestinian homes and cars. It is imperative, in some ways now more than ever, that Israelis and Palestinians work together, again, to de-escalate these tensions and to restore the calm that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve.
[]QUESTION: I have two more on Israel. Two Israeli officials are coming next week to Washington to meet White House officials and Secretary Blinken to discuss Iran. Can you confirm that? And do you have anything new to say regarding the U.S. strategy towards Iran?
MR PRICE: So I don’t have any meetings to confirm or to preview at this time, but I suspect we’ll have more to say in the coming days. When it comes to Iran, Michel, our position on this has been clear. It’s been consistent. President Biden has a solemn, steadfast commitment to the fact that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. We will never allow that to happen. We continue to believe that the way to address this challenge in a way that is durable, in a way that is permanent, is through diplomacy. We want to see a durable, lasting resolution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program. We continue to believe that diplomacy is the most effective way to achieve that, but every time we’ve been asked, we have been very clear that we will, through all means necessary, ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
QUESTION: And there are calls from Congress for the administration to change its policy towards Iran. Are you considering that?
MR PRICE: Our policy towards Iran is that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. It’s as simple as that. We are going to fulfill that solemn commitment in the most effective way that we can. We continue to believe that the most effective way to do that is through diplomacy. Only diplomacy can achieve a durable, permanent solution whereby Iran is never in a position to acquire a nuclear weapon, but we haven’t taken any tools off the table. As we’ve said consistently, we are going to pursue this in the most effective way that we can.
QUESTION: Ned, follow-up on Iran, thanks.
MR PRICE: Yeah, go ahead.
QUESTION: IAEA’s report has been distributed among the members and some parts have been leaked – doesn’t look good for Iran. Is the U.S. thinking about censuring Iran at the board of governors?
MR PRICE: So, Guita, the – we have seen the IAEA’s February 28th report on verification and monitoring in Iran. We can’t comment on the details of a report that has not yet been made public. But we’re aware of reports that the IAEA has found highly enriched uranium particles of up to 83.7 percent purity. What I will say now is that we are in close contact with our allies and partners in Europe and the region, the broader region, as we await additional details from the IAEA. There is a meeting of the board of governors next week – the board of governors of the IAEA. We are going to continue to consult very closely with our partners to do what we believe will be most effective to address this challenge together with our allies and partners in Europe.
QUESTION: Two more, please. About the poisoning of high school girls in Iran, it’s been going on for a few – quite a few months, and over 1,000 students have been affected. Does the State Department have any comments on that?
MR PRICE: We’ve seen these reports. These are very disturbing, these are very concerning reports. They are so concerning because women and girls everywhere have an innate right to an education, and education is a universal human right. It is a right that women and girls in Iran should have, a right that women and girls in Afghanistan should have, a right that women and girls around the world should have. It is essential to advancing women’s economic security and to realizing gender equality.
To – as these reports suggest, to poison girls who are simply trying to learn is simply abhorrent. It’s an abhorrent act. We expect Iranian authorities to thoroughly investigate these reported poisonings and to do everything that they can to stop them and to hold accountable the perpetrators.
QUESTION: Given Iran’s track record on everything, do – would you accept an investigation by the government? I mean, is it to be trusted?
MR PRICE: What we want to see is these reports – is these reported poisonings come to an end. We want to see this stop. We don’t have any additional details beyond what we’ve all read, and these very concerning and disturbing reports that we’ve all read in the press. But it is incumbent on Iranian authorities to respond. It is incumbent upon them to put an end to these reported attacks. It is incumbent on them to hold accountable those who may be perpetrating this.
QUESTION: One more, Ned. The threat reduction – the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act says that the U.S. has to submit to Congress a list of Iranian officials who have been involved in so many different things: weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, human rights abuse. The latest which – list which was released yesterday, 18 are missing as compared to the previous year’s. On what basis are people removed from this list?
MR PRICE: So this is a list that we have briefed to Congress only in recent days. I understand that a version was released yesterday. We’re taking a close look at the list that was released yesterday and we’ll be able to provide some more information on that.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Can we do a housekeeping question on reports —
QUESTION: Can I —
MR PRICE: Let me – let me go back to Iran. Sure.
QUESTION: So you mean you have no explanation why those people are deleted from the current list? Because some of them are related to Iranian judicial system, the very entity who was in charge of mass arrests and execution. And during the last five months from here, you always said that you support human rights in Iran. Why those people, including Mr. Ejei, Mr. (inaudible), all these people are being named in Iranian judicial system – why they were deleted? And why, too, deceased men are among your people in that list?
MR PRICE: We’ll have more information to provide to you on this. Right now we’re comparing the list that was released yesterday to the list that we have briefed Congress privately on in recent days. But I can tell you unequivocally that we are using every authority we have at our disposal to pursue those who are responsible for the atrocious human rights abuses that the Iranian regime has perpetrated against its own people since September of last year. We are using every tool we have at our disposal to pursue those who are responsible for the repression that the regime has exercised against the Iranian people over the last year. We’re going to use every tool at our disposal to pursue those who have attempted to cut off the ability of the Iranian people to communicate with one another and with the rest of the world. Our commitment is rock-solid. We are going to continue to hold accountable those who are responsible for all of these acts.
QUESTION: And Ned, talking about this cutting off, I want to ask a question about Starlink. Mr. Amir-Abdollahian said, I think yesterday during the Disarmament Conference in Geneva, that U.S. Government is illegally supporting Starlink and they keep their right to protect themselves. Do you have any comments on that?
MR PRICE: I do. When these protests started in September, Iranian authorities attempted to disrupt the ability of the Iranian people to communicate with one another and to communicate with the rest of the world. In response, the United States took swift action, took very swift action to support the free flow of information to the Iranian people through a number of steps, including by releasing what was known as General License D-2 in September, the very month that these protests really started en masse, and that license expands and clarifies the scope of authorized software services and certain hardware available to the people in Iran.
This expanded authorization in turn allowed U.S. companies to provide tools to the Iranian people, to ordinary Iranians, and to assist in their efforts to resist these repressive internet censorship and surveillance tools that the Iranian Government had deployed against the Iranian people – the Iranian people who were peacefully taking to the streets to make their demands known. These general licenses, as we’ve said before, they are self-executing. That means that anyone who meets the criteria outlined in the general license and General License D-2 can proceed with their activities without coming back to the government, without coming back to the Treasury Department in this case; and several U.S. companies have in turn taken advantage of the expanded authorization that we’ve provided.
We are committed to helping the Iranian people exercise their right to freedom of expression and to freely access the internet as well. In all of this – as we hear these comments from the Iranian foreign minister, we note the irony in Iranian officials’ complaints that the lifting of restrictions on technology companies providing services to Iran, in turn expanding the ability of services to expand – of companies to expand their services and their offerings to the people of Iran through this general license could somehow violate Iran’s sovereignty. What this general license does is allow the Iranian people to speak to one another, to communicate with one another, to communicate with the outside world. This is in no way a violation of Iran’s sovereignty. This is just the latest indication that Iranian authorities aim to prevent the people of Iran from communicating with another and sharing accounts of the brutal crackdown, the brutal repression, the brutal violence that they have faced – far too many of them have faced in September.
QUESTION: Thank you, and I have one more. I’m so sorry. About the Iranian warships in Brazil. Despite U.S. pressure, Brazilian Government let two Iranian warships to dock in Rio. Do you have any comments on that?
MR PRICE: This is something that we are discussing with our Brazilian partners. We want to make sure that the IRGC – that Iran more broadly is not able to acquire a foothold, is not able to take advantage of others in this hemisphere. It is certainly not the case that the Brazilian Government or the Brazilian people would want to do anything that would in turn assist, that would aid a government, a regime that is responsible for a brutal crackdown and violent repression against its own people.
QUESTION: Ned, do you view as an alternative – (inaudible) as an alternative for the Iranian regime in the future? And do you have any contacts with them?
MR PRICE: Michel, that is not a question for us. It’s a question for the people of Iran, to determine what it is they seek for their country in terms of their leadership, in terms of their aspirations. What we do as a matter of course is engage regularly with a wide variety of stakeholders, of prominent Iranians, including members of the Iranian diaspora in this country. There are members of the diaspora who maintain close ties with the people of Iran, who are regularly in touch with the people of Iran, who have family, who have friends, who have networks back in Iran. That is a valuable resource for us to meet with, to hear from them what they in turn are hearing from those who are in Iran.
Go ahead.
QUESTION: You see one of them —
MR PRICE: Just as a general matter, we don’t confirm with whom we meet. But Rob Malley, others across this building and across this government do regularly meet with prominent Iranian stakeholders to make sure that we are hearing and in receipt of the information and the perspective that they may have.
Kylie.
[]QUESTION: I want to ask about the Intelligence Community’s assessment on AHI, also known as Havana syndrome, incidents, it being unlikely that they were caused by a foreign adversary. Can you just speak to the State Department’s role in this assessment, if you guys agree with this assessment, and any ongoing efforts to further probe these incidents from this department specifically?
MR PRICE: Sure. I think what is most important is for me to reaffirm what you’ve heard from Secretary Blinken, what you’ve heard from senior officials across this department since the onset of this administration. We are determined to support our workforce, to support our colleagues, and certainly to support all of our colleagues who have reported these incidents over – in recent years. The findings that the Intelligence Community have spoken to today in no way call into question the experiences, the symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported in recent years.
For the part of the Secretary, he has repeatedly met with individuals who have suffered, who have reported these incidents. He knows that their pain is real. He has heard their stories. He has sat down with them and has conveyed to them the solemn commitment he has to do everything we can to support their needs and to support their continued care. The Secretary’s top priority remains the health, the safety, and security of all of these colleagues of ours who have reported being subject to this, but also has a broader commitment to the department’s fuller personnel and family members as well.
So we are going to continue to see to it that our colleagues who report these incidents are treated with respect and compassion, receive timely access to medical care, and we’ll continue to process Havana Act payments based on the eligibility criteria that’s been spelled out in the law.
In terms of the assessment, I would leave it largely to the Intelligence Community to speak to the assessment. As you know, we don’t often go into details of the Intelligence Community’s work from here. They did put out a rather extensive statement detailing their conclusion; these were conclusions that our own Bureau of Intelligence and Research also fed into. Our INR bureau has been a part of this process from the very start. And this is the process that we have committed tremendous resources to from the very start to look into potential attribution for these incidents, but also, going back to my first point, to ensure that our colleagues are getting the care, the support, the recognition, and the compassion that they need and should expect from their colleagues and certainly from the leadership of this department.
QUESTION: And so will INR continue that work? Like the group that was working with the IC on this, is it still intact or is it a smaller group now that this task force is presumably kind of moving on?
MR PRICE: As with every intelligence assessment, the book is never fully closed. We are going to – as a government going to continue to look at every single input and source of information that is available to us. An assessment like this is an assessment based on the best information available to us at any particular time. The Intelligence Community today spoke to the assessment that they have arrived at as of this date, but of course if new information becomes available in any form INR, other elements of the Intelligence Community are going to factor that into their analysis and into their assessments. But most importantly, we’re going to continue to provide the care and the support to our colleagues who have, we know, we are confident, have suffered so tremendously.
QUESTION: And just last thing. Could you speak to the reported incidents that have occurred this year thus far and if any of those incidents have happened in Havana since diplomats have been sent back to Cuba?
MR PRICE: I can’t speak to specific cases or to specific locales, but what I can tell you is that the number of reported cases of anomalous health incidents have declined fairly precipitously since 2021. There was a decline between 2021 and 2022, and so far this year there has been a decline between those cases that were reported as of this date last year and as of this date this year.
Yes, go ahead. Or – go ahead, actually.
QUESTION: I just have one last question on the Havana syndrome. Given that not only did the intelligence review found that there was no link to a foreign adversary, they couldn’t identify a single set of causes. So how is the State Department making sure that men and women of this agency, other agencies, are safe when they’re abroad if no cause has been determined?
MR PRICE: So there are a couple factors at play. Number one is attribution, and what the Intelligence Community assessment primarily spoke to today was attribution. Care and support is another element to this; but also a third element, the safety and security of our workforce around the world.
Now, given the conclusion that the Intelligence Community has reached, of course that has a bearing on the steps that we’ll look to take going forward. But I can tell you that over the course of this administration, we have put in place various steps that we have designed and implemented to reduce and to mitigate the potential risks to our people. Of course we’re going to take a close look at reports that have been made to date, any reports that come forward in the weeks and months ahead, to determine if there are other prudent steps that we can take to protect our workforce.
The protection and the safety and security of our workforce is our top priority. And if there – we identify anything that we can do to mitigate the risk to our workforce across any arena, any realm, we’re going to do that.
QUESTION: And I have a question on the 2021 countries terrorism report. Obviously the changing threat assessments were outlined there. But I was wondering if you could speak to specifically the ways in which, or not, COVID impacted terrorism around the world, especially with regard to traveling across borders and also some of these groups moving more in the online digital space.
MR PRICE: So the Country Reports on Terrorism that we released last year again were a snapshot in time. They were from 2021, of course a year that – in which the world was changed by COVID and the world was a different place because of it. I think, as you take a look at the top line summary from the document that we released, and as you go through the individual country reports, you will see the conclusion that the terrorist threat has evolved – in some ways it has metastasized over the course of years now – and a recognition that our efforts to counter it will have to evolve and adapt as well.
The reports – and throughout the course of this administration we’ve highlighted three core counterterrorism principles that are driving our approach. First, we are committed to keeping pace with the changing landscape through a clear-eyed recognition that the terrorist threats we face today are not the same ones we faced several years ago. The threats of tomorrow will also undoubtedly pose new challenges. We have to remain flexible and agile to meet them. Factors like COVID, of course, factor into that, as do technology, as do counterterrorism legal regimes, as do conflicts and instability in parts of the world.
Second, we recognize that we need to integrate our global counterterrorism efforts into the broader range of evolving national security challenges, from countering cyber attacks on critical infrastructure to managing pandemic disease and biological threats – to your question – to strengthening an international system based on democratic values.
And third, this administration has called for greater investment in a broad set of tools and capabilities, including diplomacy, development, and prevention efforts that leverage international, bilateral, and multilateral partnerships in capacity-building to avert threats to the homeland and our interests abroad before they become imminent.
We have, over the course of many years now, demonstrated our leadership in working with countries around the world, galvanizing action on the part of countries and coalitions around the world to recognize extremist and terrorist threats, and to confront them with this full set of – full set of tools.
So we’re going to continue to remain engaged with partners and allies around the world, just as we engage with nongovernmental and private sector partners as well. We recognize that includes working with community and religious leaders, technology companies, all of whom have unique perspectives, expertise, and opportunities relating to this challenge.
QUESTION: (Inaudible.) You said it was released last year; it was actually this week. It’s about 2021.
MR PRICE: It was released this week about 2021, yes.
QUESTION: Okay, but why is that? I mean, I was going to ask about that. Why (inaudible) wait for an entire year to talk about 2021? And why is it incomplete? I couldn’t find anything on Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine.
MR PRICE: So there are a number of reports included in the country reports. All of them are available online. This is a extensive and comprehensive bit of analysis. Just as our annual reports all take some time to put together, this report is no exception, and it does take some time for our posts around the world and our experts here in Washington to collate that information and put it together.