— US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that the US is actively looking for alternatives and options if diplomacy failed to restore the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. “We continue to have a strong interest in seeing if we can put the nuclear program back into the box that it was in. But if we can’t do that because Iran will not engage in good faith, then we are actively looking at alternatives and options,” the US top diplomat told reporters Tuesday. He laid it bare that the US would not allow Iran to play for time to complete its nuclear program. “And what we’ll not endure is Iran playing for time at the negotiating table by not engaging in good faith and with speed, while at the same time, continuing to build up its program,” he said. Blinken also met virtually Tuesday with several foreign ministers and representatives of regional organizations involved in the response to the Omicron variant. They “exchanged information to better understand the Omicron variant, coordinate a global response, and accelerate efforts to combat COVID-19,” said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price. “The ministers were briefed “on initial scientific findings of the variant’s severity, transmissibility and existing treatments and vaccines. “They also discussed regional impacts of the Omicron variant and policy responses going forward,” Price noted in a statement. For his part, Blinken noted that “the emergence of variants underscores the urgent need to accelerate efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and called on partners to redouble international and domestic efforts.” He reaffirmed the US commitment “to partner with countries and organizations to end the pandemic in 2022, which includes the US Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX) as our whole of government effort to speeding shots into arms and reflects a US commitment of over $1.6 billion to date.” Blinken also shared that the US has now provided “over 330 million vaccine doses in partnership with COVAX or bilaterally, as part of our 1.2 billion dose commitment.” The US top diplomat announced earlier today $580 million in new funds for seven multilateral partners “to support the critical work they are doing to help end the pandemic, strengthen public health capacity and provide urgent relief.” — KUNA