US State Department's Piggott outlines vision for Middle East peace, security and economic growth

The Trump administration believes it has made "historic progress" toward advancing peace and stability in the Middle East, despite acknowledging significant challenges remain, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on i24NEWS' American View.

Speaking about US diplomacy in Lebanon, Pigott focused on the recent talks between Israel and Lebanon as an example of this 'unprecedented progress.'

"We have already seen historic progress," Pigott said. "No one's downplaying the challenges ahead of us, but we have already seen the highest-level conversations of this nature in decades between representatives of the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel."

He said the United States has focused on creating "the space for good-faith conversations" and pointed to the launch of pilot zones under the US-brokered trilateral coordination mechanism as evidence the framework is beginning to take shape.

On Syria, Pigott said the administration is pursuing a different strategy by encouraging economic recovery and supporting the country's new leadership while maintaining counterterrorism cooperation.

"The president has been very clear when it comes to Syria—he wants to give Syria a chance at greatness," Pigott said, adding that Washington is taking steps to support "a stable Syria that's at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbors."

Addressing Iran, Pigott reiterated that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a central US objective.

"The Iranian regime cannot have a nuclear weapon," he said. "The actions the president has taken regarding the Iranian regime have already made the region and the world safer."

Pigott also said Secretary of State Rubio's recent visit to Gulf countries was intended to reinforce regional partnerships following the conflict with Iran.

"It was to thank our Gulf allies and partners for the courage, the resilience, the leadership, the support that they have shown the United States," he said, adding that there is "unanimity" among regional partners that "the Iranian regime cannot have a nuclear weapon."

Looking ahead, Pigott said expanding the Abraham Accords remains a priority and argued that economic investment is essential to achieving what President Trump has described as a "golden age" for the Middle East.

"Peace, prosperity, sovereignty—that's what the president wants to see," Pigott said. "We believe those things are fully accomplishable."