Shafaq News/ Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken said he will work with U.S. allies including the Gulf States for a "longer and stronger agreement" with Iran.

"If Iran comes back into compliance we would too," Blinken said, explaining that his approach would be to use the return to the 2015 deal as a "platform" for a broader agreement. "We are a long way from there," he added.

 “The breakout time - the time it would take Iran to produce enough fissile material for one weapon - has gone from beyond a year, as it was under the JCPOA, to about three or four months, based at least on public reporting,” Blinken told lawmakers, referring to the pact, whose formal name is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.