Report: Iran Wants Legal Pledge US Won’t Leave Nuclear Deal Again

In negotiations with the previous Iranian govt, Biden wouldn't promise that he would stay in the deal during his term in office

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Iran is seeking legal guarantees from the Biden administration that the US won’t withdraw from the nuclear deal again if the agreement is restored.

The report cited unnamed diplomats involved in the nuclear deal negotiations that are ongoing in Vienna who said the guarantee “appears to be a paramount political objective” for the government of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The issue for Iran is that the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, is not a treaty, so future administrations won’t be bound by the agreement. A treaty with Iran would need two-thirds approval from the Senate, which would never happen since just about every Republican would be against it.

A guarantee that the US wouldn’t leave the deal was also a sticking point during negotiations with the previous Iranian government of Hassan Rouhani. During those talks, Rouhani’s government was willing to settle for a deal that gave a guarantee the US wouldn’t withdraw during President Biden’s term in office. But Biden rejected the plan and wasted the opportunity to revive the JCPOA.

If the US lifts sanctions on Iran without any legal guarantees, Iran might not enjoy the economic benefits that the JCPOA was supposed to give. With the looming threat of the US pulling out of the deal again, international companies and financial institutions might not even bother doing business with Iran.

With Biden’s approval ratings at a new low, the chances of a Republican winning in 2024 look higher, making the future of the JCPOA all the more uncertain.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.