National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a “paramount priority” for the United States, emphasizing that diplomacy “is the best way to achieve that.” Sullivan weighed in on the issue during appearances on the Sunday morning news shows one day after the election of Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, who was previously the country’s ultraconservative judiciary chief.

“Well, I think what we need to do in the United States is keep our eye on the ball,” Sullivan said when asked about Iran on ABC News’s “This Week.” “And that is — our paramount priority right now is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. We believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve that, rather than military conflict. And so, we’re going to negotiate in a clear-eyed, firm way with the Iranians to see if we can arrive at an outcome that puts their nuclear program in a box.”

“He was the same person before this election as he is after the election, so ultimately, it lies with him,” Sullivan said.