Biden Admin Reveals Iran Talks Are Dead in Classified Briefing
(RightWing.org) – In May 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal the Obama-Biden administration agreed to with Iran in 2015. The termination of the arrangement reimposed strong sanctions on the terrorist nation. In September 2020, Trump signed an executive order restoring international sanctions on Tehran the Obama deal lifted. Also in the same year, then-Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to restore the accord in hopes it would limit Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Nearly a month after Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, US officials submitted a formal offer to restart negotiations with Iranian leaders. Since then, the administration has struggled to get them to agree to a new deal. In early September, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Iran’s atomic program continued to expand and how they were on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon. On Wednesday, September 28, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told The Washington Free Beacon the Biden administration informed Congress negotiations were at a standstill.
Negotiations With Iran Are at a Standstill
According to Issa, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, approximately two weeks ago, the administration disclosed to the committee in a closed-door briefing that the US offered Iran a proposal that would greatly reduce sanctions and give the regime nearly a trillion dollars over the deal’s lifetime. US officials said the Iranians hesitated to accept it.
The California congressman stated the US had negotiated all it could and the regime didn’t want what the US was offering. The news outlet said other sources familiar with the briefing made similar statements to Issa’s account of the meeting. He added Iran was close to acquiring an atomic weapon and didn’t “want to be talked out of it.”
Tehran has emphasized the negotiations don’t go far enough. Issa said the Mullah’s hesitation centers around sanctions “for being a terrorist state.” It wants assurances money will continue coming into its coffers and wants the US to lift the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the designated terrorist list. Still, the congressman said Democrats and Republicans wouldn’t strike that deal.
On Wednesday, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke with NPR in New York, noting a few crucial issues remained open; among them were guarantees. He stated the US made some steps in the right direction, but they would like more before they could agree to an arrangement.
Iran Continues to Expand Nuclear Program
On September 7, the IAEA issued a report saying Tehran was moving forward with expanding its nuclear program and expressed concern it could not independently verify enriched uranium stockpiles. According to the Arms Control Association, if Iran wanted a nuclear weapon, it could have weapons-grade uranium in less than 10 days.
So, what leverage does the US or international community have to stop them? Is a deal dead?
What’s next?
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