WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration’s earlier efforts to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal gets a cold early response from Tehran. Although few expected a breakthrough in the first month of the new government, Iran’s difficult line points to a difficult road ahead.
After Iran made several significant attacks during its first term in office, the government’s outreach was avoided only by the Iranians. They have already rejected Biden’s opening gambit: a US return to the agreement from which President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 if Iran again fulfills its full obligations under the agreement.
Iran is becoming a key test for the Biden government’s overall approach to foreign policy, which the president says will align itself with the kind of multilateral diplomacy that Trump has avoided. Although there are other issues with the buttons (Russia, China and North Korea), Iran has a particular significance for Biden’s top national security assistants. They include Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and special envoy for Iran Rob Malley, who were all intensely involved in drafting the 2015 agreement under President Barack Obama and may have personal interests in rescuing it.
Biden has promised his office to block Trump’s withdrawal from the deal, which has given him billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for restraining his core program. Just last week, Biden delivered in at least three ways: agreeing to return to multinational talks with Iran on reviving the agreement, revoking Trump’s decision to restore all UN sanctions against Iran, and easing heavy travel restrictions on Iranian diplomats posted to the United States. Nations.
Yet Iran has insisted it will not respond to a complete lifting of sanctions imposed by Trump. Over the weekend, Iran approved the threat to suspend compliance with a UN agreement, which would allow for in-depth inspections of its declared nuclear sites. Although Iran did not have to remove the inspection of international inspectors, Iran has reduced cooperation with them and promised to revisit the step within three months if sanctions are not removed.
The Iranians’ stubborn stance has left the administration on the verge of a difficult choice: continue easing sanctions before Iran resumes full compliance and loses the leverage it has, or demands for full compliance first doubles and runs the risk of Tehran stepping out of the deal altogether.
It’s a delicate balance and the administration is disgusted to admit that it stands up, given the politically sensitive nature of Iran in Washington – Republicans are strongly against the nuclear deal – and in Europe and the Middle East itself, especially in Israel and the Gulf Arab states that are most directly threatened.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken reaffirmed on Monday that the US was prepared to return to the nuclear deal provided Tehran showed ‘strict compliance’ with it. Speaking at the UN-backed disarmament conference in Geneva, Blinken said the United States was committed to ensuring that Iran never acquired a nuclear weapon and promised to work with allies and partners on the agreement between Iran and Germany. , To “extend and strengthen” France. Britain, Russia, China and the USA
“Diplomacy is the best way to achieve that.” he said.
Just 24 hours earlier, however, Iran on Sunday rejected requests to suspend cooperation with the UN’s watchdog. Although Iran did not suspend the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is accused of monitoring Iran’s compliance with the agreement, it did end the agency’s access to video of cameras installed at a number of locations.
There was no immediate response to the U.S. development, but on Monday, the White House and the State Department both underestimated the importance of the move.
“We believe diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. “This does not mean that they have apparently not taken the necessary steps to comply, and that we have not taken any steps or given an indication that we will also comply with the demands they make.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price directly addressed the IAEA mission and praised the agency for its “professionalism” in keeping inspectors and their equipment in the country, despite Iran’s earlier threat to expel them on Tuesday. He said the US supported the success of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in reaching a temporary agreement with Iran, but lamented that Tehran was not complying with it.
Price said the administration was concerned that Iran appeared to be going in the wrong direction, but declined to comment on the government’s view or the outreach results so far. He was also unwilling to say what the government could do to push Iran back into line with the agreement, given the continuing threat to drop all restrictions it has imposed.
“The United States is prepared to meet with the Iranians to eradicate these difficult, complex questions,” Price said, referring to phrases used by administration officials to refer to their initial goal of compliance for compliance. ‘and’ compliance for compliance ‘. plus. ”
‘Compliance-plus’, according to administration officials, would include restrictions on Iran’s non-nuclear activities, including missile development and support for Middle Eastern rebel groups and militias. A main reason given by Trump for withdrawing from the nuclear deal was that it did not address the issues and that his government had been trying for more than a year to extend the agreement to include it.