In the latest pro-forma statement on Iran’s civilian nuclear program, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that he believes the US should return to the JCPOA, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that originally included the entire P5+1 membership. This group includes the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.
Blinken’s comments follow the recent election in Iran of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, and talk of ending Iranian isolation. Returning to the JCPOA might be a strong step in that direction.
This isn’t the first time Blinken has talked up the JCPOA, which the US withdrew from in 2018. During the Davos 2024 World Forum, the Secretary of State declared the withdrawal from the deal to be a “big mistake,” noting that the US no longer has the agreements it needs.
The JCPOA was negotiated under the Obama Administration. The deal was somewhat complicated in nature, but the broad strokes were that, in return for sanctions relief, Iran agreed to a level of oversight on its civilian nuclear program that no nation had ever agreed to.
The sanctions relief by and large never came about, as the US did not ease sanctions as the deal stipulated. The US further threatened the other P5+1 nations to prevent them from following through with sanctions relief. Efforts to try to salvage the deal were derailed when the Trump Administration withdrew from it entirely.
In trying to force the remaining parties to come to the table to negotiate a settlement, Iran withdrew from some of the voluntary safeguards and increased its enrichment of uranium to higher levels. Despite no longer being a party to the deal, the US has consistently complained of Iran’s “violations.”
Iran has been supportive of the idea of reviving the JCPOA as originally written, with Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri saying Iran remains committed to the deal, and doesn’t believe there is any need for a new agreement, just a restoration of the existing one.
Iran has made a point that its “violations” are immediately reversible and have been made in service of trying to lead to negotiations. Further, Iran has made no moves that could lead to the production of nuclear weapons. Reports from the US Director of National Intelligence have repeatedly affirmed that there is no nuclear weapons production being attempted by Iran.
Despite this, Blinken’s comments today centered on the false claim that Iran is capable of producing the fissile material for a nuclear bomb within one or two weeks. He presented this as a breakout capacity for the Iranian program.
In reality, Iran has never attempted to enrich any uranium over 60%, which is far below the 90%+ needed for weapons-grade uranium. Blinken’s scare-mongering centers on the belief that Iran has absolute control of its enrichment technology and could reconfigure its centrifuges to weapons-grade levels on a whim.
Even if Iran enriched enough uranium to produce a bomb, it would then need to produce a weapon, test this weapon, and then work on miniaturization to produce a deliverable weapon. There is no timetable for how long that entire process would take, which is not even relevant because Iran isn’t attempting to do all of this.
The Bidey/Blinky team had three plus years to get a deal … they didn't want one. Now that they are on the way out, they are making noises about a renewal? Ludicrous …
Mr. Biden campaigned on the return to the JCPOA. Once elected it was ,"say what?" What agreement?
Having a deal resolves many issues and is a sound means to avert possible escalation….Put another chair at the table.
If honored by the US.
Yes, this time it would require a big up-front by the US to insure against the usual bad faith.
3 yrs and 6 months .
Did Netanyahu fax to Blinken the cartoon picture of a bomb with a fuse , with the note that Iran will have a nuke "soon".?
I laughed out loud!
It wouldn’t be shocking if Iran were pursuing it. The boy who cried, “Wolf!” eventually did see a wolf.
His desire will be used by AIPAC,ADL,FDD and even Israel that American jewish official was in favor of returning toJCOPA. Evangelical morons will wuote him to bolster positive attitude to his ethnic class not that they want it at the first or last place or at any place ever . Those chastizing Israel for forcing US drop out of of JCOPA will be called all kinds of names and be told – Gee ! Didn't you hear what Blinken said.
3 years and 6 months with no chance of being in the position, Blinken now can wear a more nice looking hat. God forbids,if his poodle returns to power ,he will claim to have missopken .
When the original JCPOA came to pass, one provision was that Israel would get a large and continuing bonus from the USA to placate ( bribe) them. Trump ripped up the agreement but Israel kept the bonus.
Israel will now demand a new bonus. Trump will yet again rip up the
deal Blinken is touting. Rinse and repeat.
More BS from Beta Boy Blinken.
The horse is out of the barn and has run away. Beta Boy just wants another excuse to funnel money into his pockets and the pockets of America's kleptocrats.
Iran has their own completed nuke program just like North Korea.
If I was Iran, I'd say, drop all sanctions and we MIGHT consider it.
what sanctions? The US gave them over $70 billion dollars.
The US gave them 27 years of dictatorship beginning in 1953.
We have given them so much and still they are not grateful
Of their own money.
What rock have you been under….
It was their money in the first place.
Blinken's head is full of cauca, big pieces of Kaka
For a minute I was thinking big pieces of Kafka……ahem.
Blinken is an errand boy, no more, no less. His utterances are like a fart in the wind.
No one outside the MSM and it's discredited companion mouthpieces takes him seriously – least of all professionals in the foreign policy arena beyond the boundaries of the western "Alliance".
What kind of a bomb are we really talking about? Didn't the Iranians effectively destroy their plutonium production, and isn't it plutonium that makes the best bombs? Are't uranium based bombs inherently larger hence harder to weaponize/deliver?
It's too late now to revive Biden's campaign promise before he was elected in 2020….! And no, this is not gonna help him attract votes for the 2024 election…!
He's lying – and the proof is that he brought up the false claim about Iran's enrichment level. In other words, it's just another propaganda attempt to keep the notion that "Iran is a threat to the US (and Israel)" in the forefront of the US electorate's minds.
Iran will have nukes in two weeks, period!