On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
Via Teleconference
1:02 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining. Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we’ll get into questions.
MR. KIRBY: Hey, everybody. Just real quick — nothing like Friday’s opening statement. I just want to reiterate that we continue to watch very closely the situation in the Middle East and, of course, the rising tensions there.
I believe you’ve probably seen statements made by our Israeli counterparts about their expectations, the fact that they believe that it’s increasingly likely that — increasingly likely that there will be an attack by Iran and/or its proxies, and perhaps in the coming days. I would tell you that we share those concerns, and that is why we have been continually speaking to our Israeli counterparts and other counterparts in the region.
It is why Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a few force posture adjustments, which I know you’re all aware of, in the region. And it is why President Biden spent a little bit of time this morning speaking to his counterparts from the UK, from France, from Germany and Italy. That call took place mid-morning, largely to discuss these tensions in the Middle East, largely for all the leaders to repeat what they have said before in terms of reaffirming Israel’s defense and the need to get a ceasefire in place, to get the hostages home, and to send a strong message that we don’t want to see any rise in violence, any attacks by Iran or its proxies, and to make that clear.
We’ll have a readout of that conversation coming to you here fairly shortly, but that conversation did take place mid-morning.
So with that, we can take some questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our first question will go to Zeke with the AP.
Q Thanks, John. You mentioned you share the Israeli expectation for an attack. Do you have any sense of is this going to — what that might look like? Is there any U.S. assessment of what Iran is likely to do? Will it be Iran proper or its proxies?
And then, on a scale similar to what we saw a couple of months ago, larger or smaller — what is the current state of thinking?
And then, separately, the news out over the weekend regarding the Trump campaign saying that its emails were hacked by Iran. I was wondering if you might be able to provide any U.S. government-determined attribution of that alleged hack. And then, is it contained to the Trump campaign or potentially something much larger? Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Zeke. An awful lot there. I would tell you, with the caveat that I always start about being careful not to get into intelligence assessments, I would repeat what I said earlier: that we share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have. With respect to potential timing here, it could be this week.
We’re continuing to watch it very, very closely, and it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time, if there is an attack by Iran and/or its proxies, what that could look like. But we have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks, which is why, again, we have increased our force posture and capabilities in the region even in just the last few days. I think I probably should leave it at that for right now.
On the reports of an Iranian hack into the Trump campaign: First and foremost, I’m going to have to refer you to the Justice Department and the FBI on something like that. I would just repeat what we said many, many times: We strongly condemn any foreign government or entity who attempts to interfere in our electoral process or in any way tries to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions. And any kind of report like that, any activity, we’re going to take it very, very seriously.
But I think, again, I’d refer you to FBI and DOJ on that. There’s not a whole lot more I can say on it.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Trevor with Reuters.
Q Hey, thanks for doing this. Is there any sort of expectation of joint military action involving U.S. and Europe? And was that part of the coordination that needed to take place on that call today with Biden?
And then, just a follow-up. You said last week that you needed more time to consult with Ukraine on what it’s doing in Russia with American weapons. Do you have any update on what that is from your perspective? Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: No updates for you on Ukraine. We’re continuing to speak to our Ukrainian counterparts about these operations. I’ll let them speak to their operations.
On your first question, Trevor, I won’t speak for other nations and what they will or won’t do militarily. The last time, as you might recall, that Israel was attacked by Iran in a significant way, back in April, there were some of our European allies and partners who participated. But as in all cases, they get to decide if they’re going to do something like that and what it’s going to look like.
All I can do is repeat what I said to Zeke’s question: We’ve got significant force capabilities in the region. We’ve changed some of that posture in just the last few days. The President is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that. Nobody wants to see it come to that, which is why we continue to have these diplomatic conversations in earnest over the last few days to see what can be done to de-escalate this situation.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Josh with Bloomberg.
Q Hey there. Thank you. John, can you give us an update on how the U.S. sees the status of negotiations towards some sort of pause in hostilities in Gaza, and in particular whether there will be these talks this week in Doha and whether Hamas is participating in those or not? Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: Hey, Josh. Thanks. The meeting is still scheduled for Thursday the 15th. We fully expect that those talks are going to move forward, and they need to move forward. All negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to a close. It’s time to do that. The details are of such a nature that we think they can be hashed out.
More critically, it’s time for Hamas to release the hostages — which, of course, include American citizens — and help us all bring some relief to the people of Gaza. They say they care about the people of Gaza; they say they care about the Palestinian people. One way to prove that is to sign up to this deal, show up, close it, and let’s get it done.
Q Do you have information as to — have you been told directly that they won’t show up? Or has it kind of been relying on public statements and reporting at this point?
MR. KIRBY: We’ve seen the public statements that they put out there. We believe everybody needs to show up on Thursday and see if we can’t wrap this thing up.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Nick with PBS.
Nick, you —
Q Oh, sorry about that. Yeah. Hey, John. Thanks so much. Thanks, Sam.
John, can I just go back to the top? You probably won’t expand, but if I could just ask explicitly: When you say, quote, “We share those concerns,” are you talking about a U.S. assessment of Iranian movements or Iranian proxy movements or anything else, or are you talking about the Israeli assessment and looking at that and just, you know, sharing the concerns that Israel has, of essentially agreeing with the Israeli assessment?
And then, on the ceasefire talks, just a slightly different question. Can you talk about the interaction of an Iranian attack with those — with the Thursday ceasefire date? Do you believe an Iranian attack, and perhaps an Israeli response, would imperil even the existence of that date on the calendar to resume ceasefire talks? Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: I reckon that depends on what exactly happens here, Nick. And if something does happen this week, the timing of it can certainly well have an impact on these talks we want to do on Thursday.
But as you and I are sitting here right now, with nothing flying through the air in a significant way, we still believe these talks are important. We want to see them happen on Thursday. We’re going to be there, and we want all the players to be there. And we’ll just have to kind of see where we are come Thursday. But there’s no reason why Hamas or anybody else should avoid trying to come to a closure on this deal.
On your first question: It is our assessment. Our assessment is consistent with the assessment that the Israelis put out over the weekend in terms of what they’re potentially expecting to see.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Franco with NPR.
Q Thanks for doing this, John. Regarding the assessment, I wanted to ask: Are there any indications that the Iranians have readied their ballistic missiles as it appeared they did before the April attack? Also hoping you can speak to — on anything about the increase in the threat assessment for U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, you’re not going to like this answer because I’m not going to talk about specific threat assessments, certainly not to our troops and our facilities, as you might imagine. And this is something for DOD really to speak to. But we’re constantly reevaluating that based on the intelligence that we have and the threat that — and the constantly evolving threat.
DOD takes the action that it needs to help protect our troops and facilities against what is on any given day an increased level of concern. And then, certainly given the tensions that we’re seeing in the region right now, you have to imagine — you have to understand that they, likewise, are taking all that into consideration. But I think I’ll let them talk to it.
And as for ballistic missile readiness — again, completely unsatisfying answer, but I’m also unapologetic about it — I’m not going to talk about the specifics of our intelligence and what we’re seeing or what our Israeli counterparts are seeing. But as I said in my previous couple of answers, we do share the assessment made by our Israeli counterparts that something could happen as soon as this week by Iran and its proxies.
And just to be crystal clear, in case anybody is going back on my language here: That is a U.S. assessment as well as an Israeli assessment. Our assessment matches the Israeli assessment.
Q John, can I ask again about Trump’s allege, saying that Iranians hacked his campaign? I mean, can you — I know you refer to the Justice Department, but can you — is there anything that you can say whether this actually happened? Have you seen Iranians attacking — hacking, pardon me — any involvement in the campaign?
MR. KIRBY: I can’t comment on the veracity of those claims that Iran was involved. I would point you, if I may, to the report last month by the intelligence community that we know Iran is working to influence the presidential election here in the United States. So we are certainly mindful that they have this intent.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Alex with the Wall Street Journal.
Q Thanks, John. Just very briefly, do you have any sort of — we’ve been hearing a lot about this bridging proposal that will be offered in case, you know, the sides don’t necessarily come to an agreement on Thursday. Can you give us any sense of what that actually looks like? You know, I’m not necessarily asking you to start doing diplomacy here out in the open, but just trying to get a sense of what you’re willing to offer or what’s, sort of, on the table in agreement here that you guys all seem to be pushing forward.
MR. KIRBY: Well, to answer that question honestly, I do have to actually get into public diplomacy, and I don’t think I want to do that. I mean, it’s — what we’re focused on now is getting everybody together on the 15th and moving this process forward.
A bridging proposal, just in broad sweeps, means just that: a proposal that can help us get from where we are right now to eventually where we want to be. The details of it, the specifics of it, what it would look like, I think we want to preserve that discussion to our negotiators, and obviously it would be something that all the teams involved would have to agree to.
What we’re trying to do is be creative and assertive in trying to get this over the finish line. And if that means a given set of initiatives and commitments by both sides to move us closer to phase one, then we’re willing to have those conversations. But I really think the details are best left out of the public eye.
Q And if Iran were to attack before Thursday, would the U.S. not want to participate in those conversations this week?
MR. KIRBY: That’s a hypothetical I’m not going to engage. We want everybody to show up on Thursday and roll up their sleeves and get down to work. And at the same time, we’re watching very, very closely what Iran and its proxies might do this week, and we got to make sure we’re ready for that as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Anita with VOA.
Q Thank you so much, John. Just questions on Ukraine today. First of all, both President Putin and his defense minister have characterized this incursion in Kursk as the West being at war with Russia. Your response to that?
And then, just secondly, on the strike in Kyiv and whether North Korean missiles were involved: What’s the White House’s reaction to Pyongyang supplying missiles to Russia? And how are you working to stop this?
MR. KIRBY: I can’t confirm the reports that DPRK missiles were involved. However, we have seen in recent weeks and months the Russians use North Korean ballistic missiles in their strikes on Ukraine. So, I can’t confirm those individual reports. Certainly they wouldn’t be — if true, wouldn’t be inconsistent with what Mr. Putin has been willing to do with North Korean military capabilities.
Look, we’ve been talking about this for quite some time. Putin is desperate. He’s desperate for assistance and military capability, because the export controls and the sanctions have basically turned whatever economy he had before this war into pretty much a wartime economy. And he’s reaching out in desperation to countries like Iran and North Korea for help.
It’s dangerous, obviously, for the people of Ukraine, as these missiles continue to rain down on them and their energy infrastructure. But it’s also dangerous for the Indo-Pacific region. Any notion of a burgeoning defense relationship between North Korea and Russia will have ramifications for our collective security and our national security requirements in the Indo-Pacific. And obviously, we have to, and we will, take steps to mitigate that as best we can, not just by ourselves but with our allies and partners.
And your first question — you know, this is a funny bit of Putin propaganda here, and he’s been clinging to it since the beginning of the war: that he had to go into Ukraine, NATO is surrounding him, and that NATO support and U.S. support for Ukraine just proves it’s the West versus Russia; it’s NATO versus Russia; it’s the U.S. versus Russia. And it’s all a bunch of horse-hockey. There’s nothing to it.
The only people at war in Ukraine are the Russians; they’re the ones that invaded Ukraine. And Ukraine is defending itself against that aggression. This is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, pure and simple. Always has been since the beginning.
I’m not going to talk about Ukrainian military operations, as I said earlier. I’ll let them speak to what they’re doing. We’re in close touch with them, as you might expect we would be, and that will continue those conversations.
But make no mistake about it: This is Putin’s war against Russia. And if he doesn’t like it, if it’s making him a little uncomfortable, then there’s an easy solution: He can just get the hell out of Ukraine and call it a day.
I’ll leave it at that.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Cristobal with France 24. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Yes, thank you. Tasnim, the Iranian news agency, is informing that the U.S. is going to withdraw the military forces next year, that the announcement will be made next month in a visit the Foreign Affairs Minister of Iraq will be doing to Washington. Is that true? Can you confirm or talk about this?
MR. KIRBY: I cannot, in terms of the reports of specific timing and what, in fact, the final arrangement might be. We have been engaged appropriately with bilateral talks with Iraq on what the future of the counter-ISIS mission is going to look like there in Iraq, how successful we’ve been with the Iraqi Security Forces, and what’s on the table for continued success in this vital mission.
I’m not going to get ahead of those discussions, and I’m certainly not going to preview any kind of decision one way or another at this time.
Q But is he going to be traveling to Washington next month?
MR. KIRBY: I don’t have anything to report on that.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Nadia.
Q Thank you, Sam. Hi, John. Hamas just said that they are not sending a delegation for this new (inaudible) on Thursday. They blame the Israeli government. They said they won’t accept any alternation to the President’s proposal. So do you still believe that these talks will go along, even without Hamas participating? Or do you hope between now and Thursday that they will change their mind?
And I have another question.
MR. KIRBY: Well, they — I’ll let them speak to their public comments. We’re planning on getting together on Thursday, and we believe Hamas ought to be there.
Q Well, I mean, you cannot negotiate if they’re not there. Is that true?
MR. KIRBY: They need to be there.
Q Okay. My second question is: You issued a statement showing your concern about the attack on the school in Gaza, the Tabaeen school. CNN is reporting that the weapon that’s been used is a U.S. weapon. Most of the civilians who have been killed, up to 80, I think, they could not find one body to bury; they were all in pieces — which indicates that the use was, in fact, a U.S. bomb that shattered all these civilians or their bodies. So do you still believe that the U.S. weapons used by Israel is according to international law?
MR. KIRBY: I can’t confirm reports about what weapon was used in this strike. You’re right, we put a comment — I’m sorry, a statement — out about that. In that statement, I hope you saw, we made very clear our concerns about civilian casualties, about the need for Israel to be as discriminate and precise as possible and to limit those civilian casualties in their targeting of Hamas leadership. Every single death is a tragedy of a civilian and innocent life, and we take that seriously.
Q Do you have any confirmation that a few of the names that Israel have released as Hamas operative that were killed in that school actually were killed elsewhere and they were not even killed on that day?
MR. KIRBY: I do not.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Chase Winter.
Q Hi. Thanks for doing this. I have two questions, if I can. The first one is regarding Ukraine’s incursion into Russia. Is the U.S. ready to help the EU with additional, like, LNG energy supplies if the Russian shipments stop? Because the area — the battlefield is, you know, around a major transshipment point for natural gas.
MR. KIRBY: I’ll tell you what — I’m going to take that question because I wasn’t ready to talk about natural gas shipments. So why don’t we take a look at that for you and see if we can get you a better answer.
Q Okay, that’s fine.
The second question is: I mean, are you — there’s a lot of talk here about (inaudible). I mean, is there anything that you’re telling the Israelis about a possible response, just as reported in April, when Biden allegedly told, you know, Netanyahu to take the win? Because a lot of people I speak to are concerned not only about the Hezbollah and Iranian attack, but the Israeli response that really kicks off a major regional war.
MR. KIRBY: We are concerned about escalation, period. And we obviously don’t want to see Israel have to defend itself against another onslaught like they did in April. But if that’s what comes at them, we will continue to help them defend themselves.
As for what could happen next, that is a terrific hypothetical that it would be ill-advised for me to try to even speculate about right now in terms of, you know, should there be an attack, what Israel might do. I suspect that if there would — Israel’s decisions would be based on what was thrown at them and what effect those attacks had on the Israeli population and Israeli infrastructure. And there’s no way I could possibly anticipate that now or speculate what that might look like.
So, right now, everybody is focused on making sure that, number one, Israel can defend itself and that we, the United States, have in place the proper force to help them defend themselves; number two, that we, the United States, and our allies and partners continue to message our counterparts in the region against escalation; and that we, the United States, and our allies, and some of our allies and partners, continue to send that message to Iran through the appropriate vehicles: that we don’t want to see escalation, we don’t want to see another attack on Israel from Iran or its proxies.
That’s where we are right now, and I just simply can’t jump ahead of where we are in the timeline.
MODERATOR: We have time for one more question. It will go to Halley Toosi with Politico.
Q Hi, yeah, thank you for doing this. I was wondering if the NSC has begun transition planning, and if so, what that looks like. Either way, there’s going to be a transition of some sort. And if I remember correctly, President Obama — like, his people started like a year in advance. And so, I was curious if you could tell me what sort of planning is going into that; if you’re planning for planning for the transition, or what that’s looking like. Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: Well, I think we’re all mindful of the calendar, of course, but I’m not aware of any specific planning or coordinated team efforts at this stage, where we are right now. But, I mean, obviously everybody knows that one way or another, come the new year, there’s going to have to — there will be a transition of some sort, and we take seriously our responsibilities to make sure we’re ready and to prepare and to comply with the needs of any transition.
But as for a formalized effort, I’m not aware of one at this time.
Q Is it possible that there is one but you’re just not aware of it? I just want to know if it’s a yes or a no, or if you want to take the question and get back to me.
MR. KIRBY: It’s entirely possible, but I’m not aware of it. So I’ll tell you what — I’ll take the question, and we’ll get back to you.
MODERATOR: Thank you. That’s all the time we have for today. As always, if we weren’t able to get to you, please reach out to the NSC Press Distro, and we’ll try to get back as soon as we can. Thanks.
1:29 P.M. EDT
