Foreign Policy: Was Biden late in communicating with Iran to save the nuclear deal?

Writer Michael Hirsch says that the US administration wasted valuable time to save the Iran nuclear deal, after it turned back because of infighting and hardliners in the House of Representatives.

He explained

in the location of

"Foreign Policy" US (Foreign Policy) that after Tehran reduced the

partial operations of

nuclear inspections this week, Biden administration found itself in a

desperate race to save the

2015 nuclear agreement that the

new president pledged to

join them.

But some critics say discussions within the Biden team could push him to wait a long time to offer confidence-building measures and humanitarian relief to Iran that may bring Tehran back to the negotiating table soon.

The writer noted that moderates in Tehran were waiting for signals from Washington to ease its sanctions-stifled economy since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, especially with regard to humanitarian aid.

Missed opportunity

The writer quoted Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, as believing that the Biden administration missed an opportunity in the first week of its mandate to send a stronger and more realistic signal of its "good intentions" to return to the nuclear deal, adding that during the time it took the Biden team to begin To be more active, stances in Iran hardened.

He said that the Biden administration could move and offer Iran "goodwill" signals that include exemptions from some sanctions if Iran exports excess enriched uranium or heavy water it produced in violation of the nuclear agreement, and it can also work with friendly governments, such as the South Korean government, to cancel the freeze. Partially Iranian assets even while maintaining the current sanctions, or urging the International Monetary Fund or other funding bodies to provide humanitarian aid, especially since Biden indicated in his election campaign that he would take such steps.

Hirsch also quoted Ali Fayez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, who until recently worked closely with Biden's envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, as saying that the mistake is that their failure to take this confidence-building step has created a sense in Tehran that the Biden administration wants Continuing the policy of maximum pressure for Trump, but with a smile.

It might be the last chance

Hirsch pointed out that the matter is urgent because there are only a few months left to save the nuclear deal.

Last weekend, facing the deadline of February 23 to stop inspections under the agreement, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, traveled to Tehran to reach an "understanding" with Iranian officials that most inspections could last for 3 years. Nearly months, that is, until the Iranian elections next June, when a successor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be chosen.

But inspection data, including surveillance photos, will be kept by Iran in the meantime.

If an agreement is reached, Iran will hand over the data, which could reveal any further violations.

If there is no deal, Iran has said it will destroy the data and with it may be the last chance to salvage the nuclear deal.

But it seems that the key officials in the Biden administration were abused once and twice ashamed, and that they were concerned about alienating the main voices in Congress in the face of the administration's other priorities, particularly the passage of the massive relief package for the "Covid-19" epidemic.