Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday that Israel is now in the strongest geopolitical position in its history following the seismic changes throughout the Middle East that have taken place in the past two years.

Burns is a co-chair of the Aspen Security Forum and was a top member of President Joe Biden’s national security team.

“Israel is in such an extraordinary position. … Think about Israel being born, created May 14, 1948, besieged over decades by attacks and enmity from all of its Arab neighbors, now the strongest country in the Middle East,” Burns said as he opened the forum’s second day of events. “Israel’s in the strongest geopolitical position it’s ever been in, after the extraordinary events in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iran, in Syria over the last two years.”

In his opening remarks at the conference the day prior, Burns said that Iran is “in its weakest strategic position since the Iranian revolution.”

“Consider the impact these turbulent series of events of the last few years have had on Yemen and on poor Lebanon, which is searching for true stability and independence, on the people of Syria. Consider the impact on the people of Gaza and the desperate situation that the people in Gaza are suffering right now,” Burns added.

Former U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, speaking to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Thursday night, said he sees “a flashing yellow light” when it comes to a potential U.S. strike on the underground Iranian nuclear site at Fordow.

Emanuel, who is eyeing a 2028 presidential run, said he would not support a U.S. strike on Fordow until Israel’s military options had “run its course” and the U.S. had exhausted diplomatic options, within a limited time frame.

Reaching back to his time as a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, he explained Clinton’s decision not to strike North Korea’s nuclear program in 1994. Clinton’s national security team, Emanuel explained, was saying “basically — bomb North Korea. President Carter, having gone there [to North Korea on a private diplomatic mission], messed it up and messed up that opportunity. And now you have a nuclear North Korea.” It was a decision, Emanuel said, that in some ways “haunted” him.

Despite this, Emanuel argued for prioritizing a diplomatic solution over using military force to ensure that the U.S. preserves its options in responding to Iran. He explained he believes the Trump administration — given Iran’s isolation — still has room for negotiating a deal that improves on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Russia has been kicked out of Syria. The rest of the world now sees that, when the chips are down, Russia, China and North Korea are nowhere to be found near Iran. You’re on your own,” Emanuel said. “And there’s a play here that this Axis of Resistance has been found to be very thin gruel.” 

In addition to Iran’s diplomatic isolation, Emanuel argued that two of Israel’s greatest concerns with the JCPOA — Iran’s terror proxy activity and ballistic missile capacity — have now been largely nullified as a result of Israel’s post-Oct. 7 military successes.

In the interview, Emanuel also confirmed he’s “evaluating” the possibility of a presidential run. “I have been there, I have something I think I can offer, but I haven’t made that decision.”