US Senator Joni Ernst says remarks by a top Iranian official about Tehran’s capability to produce nuclear weapons should be a wake-up call for the administration. 

On July 17, Kamal Kharrazi, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had said Iran has the technical capability to build a nuclear bomb.

The Republican senator from Iowa told Iran International’s Arash Aalaei on Monday that "I believe his comments should be a wake-up call for President Biden's administration and for the rest of the Middle East.”

About the bicameral effort to create a united front against “Iranian aggression” in the Middle East, she said, “I have the DEFEND Act which will bring the Abraham Accords countries together, some of our other partners, friends and allies in the region, and provide a collaborative effort to provide a protective defense against Iran.”

The Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses (DEFEND) Act is a joint effort by Congress to develop a strategy for signatories of the Abraham Accords and other countries to combat Iranian destabilizing activities threatening peace and security in the Middle East. 

CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla and IDF Chief of Staff Lt General Aviv Kochavi discussed on Sunday, July 17, “the importance of an integrated air and missile defense system.”

“It's very worrisome that they have the technology and they can move forward so quickly. So, we need to be aware of this and we need to know and understand that Iran is never going to operate in our best interest," Ernst noted.