In an interview with BBC Persian on Wednesday, President Biden’s Iran envoy said the Trump administration’s Iran policy, known as the maximum pressure campaign, was a “failure.”
“The maximum pressure campaign has failed. It was a predicted failure. It hasn’t made life any better for the Iranian people … It hasn’t brought us any closer to this ‘better deal’ that President Trump spoke about,” said Robert Malley. “Maximum pressure should be a thing of the past.”
While Malley denounced Trump’s policies, the crippling economic sanctions left by the Trump administration are still in place. Malley even recognized that economic sanctions are hurting ordinary Iranians.
He said the Biden administration wants to return to the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and lift sanctions on Iran but insists this can only be done through talks with Tehran, as opposed to the US unilaterally lifting sanctions.
The Biden administration’s position has been that it will only lift sanctions on Iran once it reverses the activity of its civilian nuclear program. Iranian officials have made it clear that they would return to the limits set by the JCPOA if the Biden administration lifts sanctions. Since the US is the party that violated the deal, Iran wants Biden to act first.
“We can play games about who goes first. I think anyone who’s dealt with this knows that neither side is going to go first entirely,” Malley said. “There’s going to have to be some agreement on choreographing, on synchronising. We’re open to discussing that, but it’s going to have to be discussed. It’s not going to happen simply unilaterally by one side taking all the steps and waiting.”
In the first weeks of Biden’s presidency, Iranian officials offered to coordinate the steps needed to revive the JCPOA. But the US initially rejected the offer. While Malley might sound diplomatic, other Biden officials are sending hostile signals to Tehran. Last week, the US slapped sanctions on two Iranian officials, ramping up the maximum pressure campaign.
US wants Iran to come back into full compliance before they even talk, thats never going to happen. If US is serious they should at least remove some sanctions as a sign they want to move forward. Iran would certainly respond to such a move.
Do you know what US presidents cherish the most? You don’t have to guess.
I’ll tell you my opinion. What they cherish the most is wars they start themselves. They continue wars other presidents started but they really enjoy starting their own, looking for that coveted trophy: “I am a war president!”
I think you are right. Biden wants his
war.
But the optics are deceiving. Our domestic war machine wants war — but not a war that can turn problematic.
Here is Iran that sounds desperate to get back under JCPOA, get sanctions lifted, and get into good graces of Europe, trade, turn the clock back like nothing happened.
This is a delusion our war presidency may fall into.
Iran does not care very much to get under JCPOA. Iran has no nuclear ambitions, other then energy and medical isotopes. And Europe does not have any products that Iran cannot vet in Asia.
Iran will not forget or forgive Europe for promising to abide by JCPOA, then came up with a shambles of payment system to be used for humanitarian purposes. Right. Such humanitarian needs can be purchased for money in Asia — and cheaper.
As for US, Iran has accepted voluntary limitations to its NPT rights. But will keep on gradually walking back on limitations unless US lifts sanctions — and comes back to JCPOA.
With Iran getting its missile strategy in place — it is in no hurry to join. US — if it wants war, it must stay out.
Iran has not forgotten the assassinated general. Al present, Iran is offering US a path to rejoin the Agreement. US cannot accept it. War machine likewise do not want it. But war does not look like a good idea to nervous region, even to some seasoned retired military in Israel.
So how can Biden get his war wings?
What a people harming “game of chicken” by our President. He is fearful of being called a softie by Trump. The Iranian leaders who have gone through this before are not.
US is the world worse Negotiator…!
So what we did was wrong and ineffective but we won’t take the first step to rejoin the deal. Good stuff Malley. Very logical.
Actually quite illogical. The premise of the article is entirely wrong. The idea of maximum pressure is to bankrupt the mullahs financing terror and desperately seeking to get “the bomb”. Iran is a dictatorial theocracy and the mullahs in charge have been very clear in their less than secretive objectives for both the nuclear program and their financing of terror. They wish to eradicate the populations of Israel and Saudi Arabia and wipe them from the earth. You deny this? Seriously? They also wish to eradicate “The Great Satan”; the USA. You deny this?
The “people” of Iran do not support this suicidal agenda however, they are not free to do anything about it and face genocide themselves. You deny this?
If it did any good, I’d recommend you read the 2007 and 2011 national intelligence estimates on Iran by the US Intel agencies which indicated that Iran, even if they ever did have a program beyond research, stopped in 2003 and have not started since.
But it doesn’t matter to you, right? I mean, “great satan” … What is this, 1988? You need to get the fresh propaganda sheets from aipac central, my friend.
Its quite clear Biden is seriously decapacitated with amnesia. Heavens he can’t even walk onto an aircraft without falling over. It will only get worse and then Kamala Harris takes over and she couldn’t even get into double figure percentage support in Dem’s primaries. That’s what they call democracy???
Bonus points for logic. It was a failure, it hurt
people and — we do more of it.
A strange thing is happening — Israeli former military people are urging US re-enter the deal, without asking for modifications. Why this push from Israel?
According to some, Iran may have outfoxed Israel.
By Israel pushing for more, and expecting to get it from Trump, Iran had time to develop its missile capacity.
Israel’s (and US) frantic bombing of Iraq-Syria border crossing is Israel jumping at shadows, believing that missiles would be shipped to Syria by Iraqi Shia militia, and then from Syria to Lebanon.
And now, Israel actually thinks that Iran has no desire to reenter JCPOA. And that delay is desirable — insisting all along that sanctions be lifted, making proposals, etc. making it impossible for US to accede to such entreaties. US can only rejoin on its terms and with Iran properly humbled.
But Iran does not wish to reenter unconditionally. US will essentially have to make under the table promises to lift sanctions.
At this point, it may be that US has a strong lobby that does not want JCPOA — as that kind of engagement and opening of trade means — greatly reduced chance of war against Iran! But now these hawks may be going contrary to voices from Israel that are more concerned about Iran’s missile strategy,
And would like to have JCPOA mechanism to tie Iran closer to EU by trade.
But that ship has sailed. Iran can find in Asia everything that Europe has to offer. And the trade with Asian countries is growing. We tend to talk of humanitarian concerns only when we want to chastise Iran.
How long can this go on? For a while unless US makes a move. What would be the outcome? Reduced chance for war. With the entire Gulf region deeply disinterested in war with Iran — what is really game plan for Iran?
Any public discussion would embarass Biden. Biden has nothing but false impressions, bad information, fabricated biases and ugly prejudices in his empty tin can head.
Iran’s Khamenei reiterates nuclear deal stance in new year speech . . .Supreme leader says the United States must lift all sanctions before Iran reverses its steps away from the nuclear deal. . .here
In an hour-long televised address to the nation on Sunday to mark the start of the new Persian year, he said the “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions – which he called a “major crime” committed by “that previous fool” President Donald Trump – has failed. “He [Trump] went away in that infamous way, bringing disgrace to his country,” Khamenei said. “They must know ‘maximum pressure’ has failed so far, and if the current US administration wants to continue, it will also fail.”
. . . Iran is now “in no hurry” to have sanctions lifted since it is in the process of “nullifying” them through relying on local production. The supreme leader on Saturday chose “production, support, and removal of barriers” as the slogan for the new year, extending his theme of self-reliance in the face of external pressure.