ISIS still a ‘viable threat’ in the region: US official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Counterterrorism is a significant priority of the United States, and it continues to take out Islamic State (ISIS) leaders in the Middle East, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby told Rudaw, stating that the group remains a "viable threat" in the region.

The following is the transcript of the interview with John Kirby:

Rudaw: Thank you so much, John, for being on Rudaw. Today is the third and the last day of NATO. Were you able to accomplish what you aimed to and also send a clear message to Russia and China?

John Kirby: I don't think there's any way that Mr. Putin can look at this summit in the last two-plus days and not see a clear signal that NATO as an alliance, and NATO nations by themselves, are going to continue to hold Mr. Putin accountable for what he's doing in Ukraine, to continue to stand up to his aggression, and continue to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs. And my goodness, look at some of the announcements this week: more air defense systems, F16s, reaffirmation of the fact that Ukraine is one day going to have NATO membership. It should be pretty clear to Mr. Putin, and it should be pretty clear to President Xi, who is supporting in many ways Russia's defense industrial base, that the United States and our NATO allies are partners. And it's not just NATO. You've got Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia here. Our Indo-Pacific partners are also committed to making sure that Ukraine can win and that Mr. Putin fails.

Rudaw: Are they going to win?

Kirby: Are they going?

Rudaw: Is Ukraine going to win in this war?

Kirby: We believe they absolutely can. I can't predict an end here. What I can predict is that the United States, President Biden, will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. He said so just a little bit ago. And we're going to do everything we can to make sure that they succeed on the battlefield, that they win. How this war ends, when it ends, I couldn't begin to tell you. We believe that most likely, it'll end through some sort of negotiated settlement. But here's the thing: it has to be what President Zelensky will support. He's put forward a peace proposal, a just peace plan. We support that. Other nations around the world support that. And it's important that if and when President Zelensky is ready and willing to sit down and begin some sort of negotiation, that he does it from a position of strength and that he knows when he does that, he has the United States behind him.

Rudaw: So, as we speak on Ukraine. Today, CNN reported that the US and Germany foiled a Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of arms manufacturing and sending weapons to Ukraine. Do you have anything to tell me about that?

Kirby: I can't confirm the reporting on that, and I'm not going to get into this specific intelligence. Look, Russia's sabotage efforts are not new. They're designed to undermine and to sow chaos. To deal briskly and violently with opponents is well known. And that's why we all have to stay vigilant. We all have to stay united in purpose and resolve. And we have to make sure that Mr. Putin is held accountable for what he's doing. I will say one more thing. This is a man, again, I'm not confirming this reporting, but this is a man who knows he's under pressure. He knows he's increasingly isolated on the world stage. He's reaching out to Iran for drones, North Korea for ballistic missiles and artillery shells. He's trying to get Chinese companies to, you know, some of them are providing components for his weapon systems. His defense industrial base is being shored up by other countries. And so, he knows he's under pressure. He knows he's isolated. He knows that his economy is suffering because of what NATO and what our allies and partners around the world have done.

Rudaw: You spoke of Iran. And you've said for a long time that Iran is helping Russia in the war in Ukraine…

Kirby: They are.

Rudaw: And you know that Iran is advancing its nuclear capability. What is the NATO and the US assessment of the Iranian nuclear capability? And do you think that a new president in Iran will open a window of hope or any change in that country?

Kirby: We know that Iran still is spinning centrifuges. President Biden has said very clearly, we will not allow Iran to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. Now, obviously, we'd prefer to achieve that outcome through diplomacy. Right now, there is no diplomacy on this. So, we have to make sure we have the capabilities available to the President to provide him other options as well. I don't see a path right now in the immediate future for a return to diplomatic discussions about the nuclear deal. As for the new president, look, we'll have to watch and see what he actually does. We've seen some of the things that he says. But I gotta be honest with you. We're not expecting any major changes in Iranian behavior.

Rudaw: But some change?

Kirby: We're not expecting any major changes in Iranian behavior. We'll see what he tries to do. But we've got to make sure we continue to hold Iran accountable. You talked about their support to Putin, which is true. They're also supporting Hamas. They're supporting the Houthis who are still firing missiles into the Red Sea.

Rudaw: And Iraqi militias.

Kirby: They're supporting Hezbollah, and they themselves are hazarding shipping in the Gulf region. So, there's little expectation by the United States that Iranian behavior is really going to change that much because we both know there's one person that makes all the big decisions there.

Rudaw: And then another question on the NATO Summit and also the threats on international security and US interests. Don't you think that the NATO Summit has ignored a threat like ISIS, which could reemerge at any time in the Middle East? How does NATO talk about these lower threats in the Middle East and other regions which could affect NATO countries too?

Kirby: Well, I mean, I would say nobody's ignoring the threat from ISIS. I can't speak for the NATO alliance writ large, but many of our NATO allies face very real and present threats from terrorist groups, including ISIS. Certainly, the United States is among them. President Biden has made counterterrorism a significant priority. We continue, in just recent weeks, to take out ISIS leaders where and when it's appropriate. It is a much-diminished terrorist network than it was back in 2014. But it is still viable. It is still violent. And it's still trying to regain some of its vibrancy. And so, we've got to make sure we stay focused on that. We are.

Rudaw: And then my last question. This is what I have heard during the last three days, including today, that the President's ability overshadowed the NATO Summit. This is the media focus. Have you received any comments, any concerns from the NATO leaders about that, and what is their point of view about those critics that have been made to President Biden?

Kirby: Look, I would just say that the conversations that the President is having here, and that we're all having here, are on the issues that matter to the alliance: defense, deterrence, defense industrial base, supporting Ukraine, the kinds of challenges that the alliance is going to face for the next 75 years. That's what we're focused on. The conversations have been on issues that really matter, not the domestic political situation here in the United States.

Rudaw: Thank you so much, John, for being on Rudaw.

Kirby: It has been a pleasure. Good to be with you. Thanks.