The future US leadership wants to return the country to a nuclear agreement and force Tehran to comply with the terms of the original agreements, so Iran can be returned "within the framework".

This statement was made at the WSJ Forum by CEO Council Jake Sullivan, whose candidacy Democrat Joe Biden proposed as his national security adviser.

In return, the United States will be prepared to abide by the terms of the 2015 deal, Sullivan said.

“In our opinion, it is feasible and achievable,” he stressed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Biden's team believes that the future president will try to repair the damage caused by the decision of the current head of the White House, Donald Trump, to withdraw the United States from the nuclear agreement in 2018.

Sullivan said a return to the nuclear deal, which would mean lifting sanctions that have caused Tehran to lose billions of dollars, would set the stage for "follow-up negotiations" on a broader spectrum of issues.

Let us remind you that five years ago Iran and six international mediators - Russia, the USA, Great Britain, China, France and Germany - came to an agreement on the settlement of the problem of the Iranian nuclear program.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was adopted, which provides for the lifting of previously imposed economic and financial sanctions from Tehran by the UN Security Council, the United States and the EU.

In exchange for the phased elimination of restrictions, Iran has pledged, among other things, to allow staff of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enter its nuclear facilities, as well as to export most of its enriched uranium abroad.

According to the document, Iran can enrich uranium up to 3.67%.

However, almost three years after the deal was concluded, Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the agreement.

After that, the White House restored the sanctions previously imposed against Tehran and canceled.

The remaining participants in the transaction decided to create a financial mechanism for settlements bypassing American restrictions.

Biden's position

It is worth noting that Biden has more than once expressed his thoughts on how relations between the United States and Iran can be built in the future.

So, in September, even before the presidential elections in the United States, in an article for CNN, Biden admitted the likelihood of the United States returning to the nuclear deal.

The democrat also promised to take measures "so that US sanctions do not impede Iran's fight against COVID-19."

However, Biden noted that during his administration, Washington will continue to "counter Iran's destabilizing activities that pose a threat" to the United States' friends and partners in the region.

If "Iran chooses confrontation," Biden is ready to defend the "vital interests" of the United States and American troops.

“But I am ready to follow the diplomatic route if Iran proves by deed that it is ready for this,” the politician wrote.

In an interview with The New York Times released on December 2, Biden confirmed that he wants to return to talks with Tehran after taking office as head of the White House.

  • Joe Biden

  • © Leah Millis / Reuters

In his opinion, "the best way to achieve some stability" in the Middle East is to deal with "the nuclear program."

As Biden explained, if Iran builds a nuclear bomb, it will strongly push Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and other countries to develop their own nuclear weapons.

After that, in an interview with CNN published on December 4, Biden announced that he plans to take a multilateral approach towards Iran.

According to the politician, due to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, the Iranian authorities approached the possibility of obtaining nuclear weapons, but Washington cannot allow them to create them.

“All these problems, it seems to me, will be very difficult to solve.

But I know one thing: we cannot do it alone, ”Biden said, adding that it will be necessary to involve other countries in resolving the situation.

Iran's reaction

At the end of November, Iran had already received a reaction to Biden's words.

As the then President of the Islamic Republic, Hassan Rouhani, said, if the democrat keeps his promises, which he made during the election campaign, this will solve the problems between Tehran and Washington.

However, after this statement, on November 27, a nuclear physicist, head of the research and innovation organization under the Iranian Ministry of Defense, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed.

The scientist was attacked by unknown assailants near the city of Absard, east of Tehran, as a result of which he received serious injuries and died in hospital.

The Iranian authorities consider the attack on Fakhrizad a terrorist act and the scientist a martyr.

The commander of the Iranian army, Abdulrahim Mousavi, said that the authorities of Israel and the United States could be responsible for the death of the scientist.

In the West, Fakhrizadeh was called one of the main developers of the Iranian nuclear missile program.

In response to this murder, the Iranian parliament approved a draft law "Strategic measure to lift sanctions", which suggests the possibility of Iran's refusal from an additional protocol with the IAEA on nuclear verification.

The document also provides for the production of uranium in the amount of at least 120 kg per year, raw materials will need to be enriched up to 20%.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted last week that Tehran "has proven its good faith in 15 IAEA reports," and the Biden administration "must prove it by fully complying with the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and ending Trump's economic war against the Iranians."

Iran proved its bona fides in 15 IAEA reports.

The Biden admin must prove ITS by complying fully with UNSCR 2231 & ceasing Trump's #EconomicWar against Iranians.



At that time, Iran will reverse its remedial actions under #JCPOA.



My comments at # MED2020: https: //t.co/RbAr6c2ocE

- Javad Zarif (@JZarif) December 3, 2020

"It will be quite difficult"

As political analyst Alexander Asafov noted in an interview with RT, Biden "will really try to restore the nuclear deal with Iran."

“After all, it was the democrats who went for it five years ago.

Now the resumption of the nuclear deal is important for the United States in the context of its intentions to prevent the production of nuclear weapons by Tehran and escalation in the region.

Another goal is to force Iran to cooperate within the framework of the JCPOA, and on its own terms, ”he said.

However, the process of returning the United States to the nuclear deal "will be quite difficult," American political scientist Malek Dudakov explained in an interview with RT.

“Iran demands that the United States fully comply with the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, as well as end the economic war against Iran.

The question is whether Washington will be ready to do this and under what conditions.

In addition, we are talking about a multilateral treaty, so negotiations will be conducted immediately between all of its participants, ”he said.

Dudakov also stated that Iran "does not trust the United States," especially after Trump announced the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, and also against the background of the assassination of an Iranian scientist.

  • AFP

“Tehran would like to lift the US sanctions, because, including due to the pandemic, the economic situation in the country has deteriorated.

However, Iran will not compromise its principles, ”the expert said.

Dudakov believes that the new American government may not be able to carry out its plans to return to the nuclear deal with Iran.

Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adheres to a similar position.

"Despite the fact that the JCPOA is an extremely important document, a step towards strengthening international security, the return of Washington to the deal will probably be opposed by the Republicans, as well as the Israeli lobby in the United States," the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

If the American leader still manages to return the United States to the JCPOA, then "there will be a slight decrease in the escalation of the conflict between Washington and Tehran," Asafov said.

At the same time, according to the expert, the return of the United States to the nuclear deal will be a "great gift" for European countries, which will be able to resume trade and begin more active interaction with Iran.

“However, the positive effect may be overridden by the unfriendly rhetoric of the United States towards Iran, which they traditionally use, including when it comes to resuming the nuclear deal,” the expert stated.

Asafov recalled that despite numerous unfounded accusations against Iran about the development of nuclear weapons, "the IAEA checks have repeatedly proved that Iran does not have such a program."

Asafov also noted that, in addition to the JCPOA, Biden could return the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement, the Open Skies Treaty and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“In addition, the Democrat will try to adjust the current level of participation of the United States in WHO.

Trump managed to destroy a number of international agreements and agreements, which came at one time, including the Obama administration.

With the coming to power of Biden, Democrats will carefully choose which documents will be most beneficial for them, ”the analyst predicted.

Blokhin, for his part, stressed that "against the background of all these attempts to be different from Trump, in the end, Biden will still have to change his rhetoric and act more harshly towards Tehran."

“The United States will pursue the policy of containing Iran under any government.

However, Biden wants to do it in softer ways, ”the expert concluded.