Tehran refuses to back down from its nuclear steps before the US sanctions are lifted

Biden appoints former Obama aide Robert Malley as special envoy for Iran

US President Joe Biden signs executive orders in the Oval Office.

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A senior US State Department official announced that President Joe Biden's administration has appointed Robert Malley, a former foreign policy advisor in the administration of former US President Barack Obama, as a special envoy on Iran.

This comes with Iran’s announcement that it will not back down from its nuclear steps before the US sanctions are lifted.

In detail, a senior official at the US State Department stated that the Biden administration has nominated Robert Malley, a former foreign policy advisor in the Barack Obama administration, to be a special envoy on Iranian affairs.

This step gives the seasoned diplomat a leadership role in one of the most important and difficult foreign policy challenges facing the new US administration.

Mali was a key member of Obama's team in negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran and world powers that was concluded in 2015, and former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 despite strong opposition from Washington's European allies.

“Secretary Blinken is building a dedicated team that he draws from among experts of acumen and diversity of opinion,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

At the forefront of that is Team Rob Malle, as our special envoy on Iranian affairs, and he will bring to the post a record of successes in negotiating the Iranian nuclear program.

"The minister is sure that he and his team will be able to do it again," he added, referring to Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken.

When Mali's name was first mentioned in news reports as a prominent candidate for the position, criticism rained down from some Republican lawmakers and members of pro-Israel groups who expressed concern that he would be soft on Iran and tough on Israel.

However, a number of foreign policy experts rose up to defend him, praising his respected and neutral personality.

Robert Malley, the son of a journalist of Egyptian origin, was an unofficial advisor to Obama's campaign in 2008, but he resigned after it was revealed that he had met representatives of the Palestinian "Hamas" movement while working at the International Crisis Group.

Mali later joined the Obama administration, in which Biden assumed the vice presidency.

Mali was a senior advisor on the Middle East.

On the other hand, the US President signed, the day before yesterday, two executive orders aimed at expanding access to health care.

Biden told reporters that the orders will undo the damage that former US President Donald Trump has inflicted on the US health care system.

The Biden administration intends to open a special enrollment period to facilitate enrollment for affordable health care in accordance with the Obama-era healthcare law, which was designed to provide millions of uninsured people with health care coverage.

"For President Biden, this is personal," the White House said in a statement.

"He believes that every American has a right to be assured of access to affordable, quality health care."

From Istanbul, Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said yesterday that Tehran would not accept the United States ’request to it to stop accelerating its nuclear program before Washington lifts the sanctions.

In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Istanbul, Zarif said that this request is "impractical and will not happen."

The new administration of the US President said that Tehran must resume work on the restrictions imposed by the nuclear agreement it signed with major countries in 2015 on its nuclear activities, before Washington can rejoin the agreement.

Iran violated the terms of the deal in a gradual response to Biden's predecessor Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord in 2018 and re-impose sanctions on Tehran.

And earlier this month, Iran resumed uranium enrichment to a purity of 20% at its underground nuclear plant in Fordow, a level it had achieved before the agreement.

However, Iran said it could quickly backtrack on violations if the United States lifted sanctions.

Meeting between Trump and the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives

Former US President Donald Trump met the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, the day before yesterday, at his luxurious residence in Florida, in an indication of the continued influence of the former president on his camp despite severe criticism of his role in the bloody attack on the Capitol.

In a statement, Save America, a political action committee close to Trump, said that victory over Democrats in the House of Representatives in 2022 was the main topic of the meeting at Trump's Club in Maralago, Palm Beach.

And she considered that "Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his support for him is perhaps more important than ever."

McCarthy, the ally who defended Trump's baseless allegations of fraud in the presidential election, later distanced himself from the Republican billionaire, after Trump was accused of encouraging his supporters to storm the Capitol.

On Thursday, however, it seemed as though McCarthy had come close to Trump again, and the two men appeared smiling from their masks.

"Today, President Trump pledged to help Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022" during the upcoming elections, McCarthy wrote in a statement.

For her part, Democratic Representative Catherine Clark expressed her shock that McCarthy was re-allying with Trump, after the "incendiary" attack in the Capitol.

Washington - AFP

Capitol police chief demands a permanent fence

The US Congressional Police Chief urged lawmakers to add permanent fences and backup security personnel to the Capitol building, after the deadly attack on the site on January 6.

Yujananda Pittman, Acting Capitol Police Chief, indicated that a 2006 security assessment specifically recommended the installation of permanent fencing around the Capitol Building.

"I can say unequivocally that significant improvements must be made to the physical security infrastructure, to include permanent fencing, and standby reserve forces in place in the vicinity of the Capitol," she said.

"We will not accept the deployment of additional forces or the erection of a permanent fence, given that this is a long-term force in the capital," Washington Mayor Merrill Bowser wrote on Twitter. But she said that "potential volatile events" require temporary additional insurance.

Reuters. Washington

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US president signed executive orders to expand access to health care.

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