Iran (Washington Insider Magazine) -The new Iran administration is looking to re-open critical nuclear negotiations by the end of the November. The country would like to restore the previous deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal. The JCPOA, negotiated under the Obama administration, lifted economic sanctions in Iran, in exchange for Iran curtailing their nuclear program. The plan was halted under the Trump administration.
Under the original JCPOA terms, Iran agreed to eliminate most of its enriched uranium and nuclear facilities which are needed to build nuclear weapons. In exchange, the US and other stakeholders would lift significant economic sanctions that would allow Iran to continue trade internationally. The deal allowed for enough nuclear facilities to support nuclear power, but critics of the deal claimed that Iran would maintain covert development of weapons.
President Biden has said that the US suffered by the decision by Trump to pull out of the JCPOA. In late October, Biden discussed the deal with key leaders in the EU, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Borish Johnson, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The leaders emerged from the meeting feeling energized by the possibility of reaching a new deal with Iran.
Despite Biden’s commitment to reenter the deal, these comments come days after the US imposed sanctions to address Iran’s drone program. In August, Iran elected a new president, Ebrahim Raisi. President Raisi is seen as a hardline conservative but has been clear throughout his campaign that his administration would explore any diplomatic means to lift economic sanctions that has crippled Iran’s economy.
While both sides have publicly expressed interest in re-establishing the deal, reports show that US negotiators are not optimistic that a deal will be reached. The negotiates are stressed by Iran’s hardline negotiators, all while the country continues to act belligerently in the region, launching drone strikes against US allies.
Some experts fear that the negotiations have continuously been stalled by the Iran side as they continue to pursue nuclear weapons – while Tehran does want economic sanctions lifted, they are slow to re-negotiate the deal to continue the development in their nuclear program. Tehran maintains that the development of nuclear facilities is completely peaceful and is not related to atomic weapons. Despite this claim, Iran has reportedly refused regular inspections to be in compliance with the deal.
As the Biden presidency faces its lowest approval rating since inauguration, the administration will look for a strong victory in the Middle East especially after a highly criticized military exit from Afghanistan. For Biden’s supporters, the restoration of Obama’s Iran deal will be a welcome policy. Yet Biden’s top foreign policy experts will need to make sure the deal is in good faith, yielding results that are in the US interests. Ultimately, a deal would be a major win that could benefit all stakeholders from the EU, the United States and Iran.