Israeli officials are concerned that the US move away from pursuing the Iran nuclear deal may prove temporary and that the deal will remain a key focus for the Biden administration, despite comments to the contrary from officials at the last two weeks, according to a recent report in the country’s media.
“Unless the Biden administration works with its partners to trigger a ‘rollback’ at the UN Security Council, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) will unfortunately always be on the table,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, Principal Investigator Defense Foundation. of Democracies (FDD), he told Fox News Digital. “Right now, the reason for not reaching an agreement has more to do with politics and the demands in Tehran than with the bragging in Washington.”
“Hopefully what the administration is saying between the lines about the deal remains true by the time (Iranian leader Ali) Khamenei picks up the phone,” Taleblu added. “It is time for the administration to see the link between nuclear, regional, domestic and other challenges and formally close a deal that would enrich Iran’s apparatus of domestic repression and foreign aggression. Anything less than that is just talk.”
A video that surfaced online last week appeared to show President Joe Biden saying the deal “is dead, but we’re not announcing it.”
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An Israeli official who participated in closed-door discussions on Iran told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the government understood that despite Biden’s comments, the impression remained that a significant turnaround in the nuclear deal would take place within a few months.
However, US officials seem to think otherwise.
“The Iranians killed the opportunity for a quick return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA in September when they turned their backs on a deal that was on the table, approved by all,” a US State Department spokesperson told Fox News. Digital. “The JCPOA has not been on the agenda for months. It is not our focus.”
President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport.
(Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, remained a key item in the Biden administration’s foreign policy plan for months. The effort to revive the deal has proven divisive in the US, but several countries in the Middle East, including Israel, have made it clear that they are strongly opposed to any such deal.
On December 22, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran “is engaging in destabilizing activities, dangerous activities,” including supporting terrorist groups, destabilizing actions throughout the region.
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“When the JCPOA…was really enforced, it did exactly what it was designed to do,” Blinken said. “He put Iran’s nuclear program in a box. It was verified not only by international inspectors, it was verified by our own people, Iran’s compliance with that, even by the previous administration.”
“In our view, it was a serious mistake to withdraw from that agreement and let Iran’s nuclear program get out of the box, but that is the reality that we inherited and have had to deal with,” he added, emphasizing the clear objective of the administration to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
In this photo taken by a non-Associated Press employee and obtained by AP outside Iran, Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police.
(AP Photo/Middle East Images, File)
Part of that shift in stance relates to nationwide protests that have rocked Iran for more than 100 days following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the nation’s morality police. The administration reportedly determined that Iran could not put down the protests without drastically improving its economic situation, which would make the nuclear deal more attractive.
Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid estimated the deal would provide Tehran with $100 billion a year, which Iran would use to “undermine stability in the Middle East and sow terror around the world,” Reuters reported.
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But the US State Department and the National Security Council emphasize that the protests made it clear that any deal with Iran would be unacceptable, even as they continue to stress the need to find diplomatic means to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Since September, our focus has been to defend the fundamental freedoms of the Iranian people and to counter Iran’s deepening military partnership with Russia and its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the State Department spokesman said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet each other as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi looks on during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, July 19, 2022. .
(Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
“While the JCPOA has not been on our agenda for months, what is very much alive is President Biden’s absolute commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” the spokesperson continued. “We believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal, but President Biden has also made it clear that we have not taken any option off the table and that the military option remains a last resort.”
A spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC) told Fox News Digital that the administration “will continue to confront Iran’s behavior in the region, protect our troops… and stand with the courageous Iranian people who They demand their basic rights and dignity, which the regime has long denied them.” .”
“We don’t see a deal being reached any time soon,” the NSC spokesman said. “Iran is killing its youth and selling UAVs to Russia to kill Ukrainians. Our focus is on practical ways to deal with them in these areas.”
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“We will continue to take steps to impose costs on those who commit violence against peaceful protesters or otherwise seek to suppress their rights,” the spokesperson added. “Our diplomatic efforts under the Biden administration have also made room for other countries to join in our condemnation of Iran’s misbehavior.”
