Robert Malley, Joe Biden's new emissary for Iran

The White House confirmed on Friday the appointment of Rober Malley as head of the team responsible for renegotiating a nuclear deal with Iran.

AFP

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2 min

The White House confirmed this Friday, January 29, the appointment of Rober Malley as head of the team responsible for renegotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran.

This seasoned diplomat who served under the Clinton and Obama administrations has drawn criticism from some elected Republicans for his supposed weakness vis-à-vis Tehran.

The hawks of the Republican Party, hostile to the resumption of dialogue with Iran, tried to prevent his appointment, but without success.

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With our correspondent in Washington,

Anne Corpet

The appointment of

Robert Malley

is a defeat for the American neoconservatives.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton notably accused him of having sympathy for the Tehran regime and animosity towards Israel.

He even called him "radical" on social media.

A charge that has led dozens of diplomats and Middle Eastern experts to express their unreserved support for this seasoned negotiator.

A childhood friend of Secretary of State

Antony Blinken

, he was one of the main architects of the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 with Iran, which required years of complex negotiations.

Donald Trump

withdrew the United States from this international pact, and Tehran has since freed itself from some of its obligations.

Robert Malley will face one of the most complicated challenges in American diplomacy: forcing Iran to comply with its commitments, before lifting the sanctions taken by the Trump administration.

The White House then hopes to expand the 2015 nuclear deal, notably to the issue of missiles.

A very ambitious goal, for which the American administration is careful not to give the slightest timetable.

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  • United States

  • Iran

  • Nuclear

  • Joe biden