Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that it’s “unlikely” an agreement will be reached with Iran to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, in the near future and blamed the impasse on Tehran.
“What we’ve seen over the last week or so in Iran’s response to the proposal put forward by the European Union is clearly a step backward and makes prospects for an agreement in the near-term, I would say, unlikely,” Blinken told reporters while on a visit to Mexico City to discuss trade.
Blinken accused Iran of being “unwilling” to reach an agreement and claimed Tehran introduced “extraneous issues.” The US made similar claims in a statement to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors.
“We stand ready to quickly implement a deal on a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA. What we lack is a willing partner in Iran,” the US told the Board of Governors.
While the US is putting all the blame on Iran, the Biden administration has taken a very hardline approach to the negotiations by refusing to lift all Trump-era sanctions. President Biden has expanded the Trump administration’s so-called “maximum pressure campaign.”
Blinken’s comments appear to confirm remarks made by a senior Israeli official on Monday, who said the US and European JCPOA signatories had conveyed that an agreement won’t happen. The official also said that the US had toughened its stance in the negotiations with Iran as a result of the Israeli pressure, although that characterization was disputed by a State Department spokesperson.
The Israeli official also claimed that Israel had successfully sidelined Robert Mally, President Biden’s special envoy for Iran, who played a role in negotiating the JCPOA when it was first signed in 2015. The State Department also disputed that assertion, saying that Malley is an “integral” part of the negotiations with Iran.
The US and Iran appear to be at odds over the number of sanctions the US is willing to lift, guarantees Tehran wants for if the US pulls out of the JCPOA again, and an IAEA inquiry into uranium traces at undeclared nuclear sites.
Finally, an honest answer.
Almost honest, he said unlikely when he could have said not likely. the whole truth.
Blinky gets his orders from his brothers in apartheid Israel.
Aaaaaaaaand whose fault is that? Trump’s, for leaving a perfectly good working agreement, and Biden, for not reimplementing it immediately after gaining office, and Blinken, who couldn’t negotiate his way out of a wet paper bag with a map.
It’s difficult to say which has been the worst recent sec of state between Blinky and Pompous … two of the worst all time, though … end of empire stuff.
But you only have to go back one more administration to get two equally vile idiots.
Ah for the days of Kissinger, Zbig, and Shultz, eh? Those were bloody bastards, but at least they were smart ones!
Good point. Once again trying to remember anything resembling good. Just like Presidents. Which one did actually suck the least type of thing.
Probably have to go back to Kennedy. He was ready to withdraw all military from Vietnam and he was going to smash the CIA into thousands of pieces. Guess that tipped the scales against him, especially when he fired Dulles. (who LBJ restored)!
“We stand ready to quickly implement a deal on a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA”
A complete and utter lie. This mutual return was on the table and implementable immediately upon Biden getting in office and they have simply refused to do so for almost two years. Just narrative building for the CNN and MSNBC rubes.
With sanctions and without a deal Iran’s nuclear program will go ahead, presumably. Were a deal to be done Israel would most likely scupper it: war either way. It will not be a regional conflict, because it is intrinsically linked to the conflicts in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine and Taiwan. It will part of a conflagration – world war.
https://patternofhistory.wordpress.com/
“Blinken Says Agreement on Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Unlikely,’” maybe the first and last time I agree… https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/apr/1/joe-biden-incompetent-fool/
What a surprise, who would have thought?
The USA is really at war with Iran, sanctions are economic war. All they want is a CEASEFIRE. But negotiations are out anyway.
After 3 days of Israel making the same claim, Blinky chimes in to confirm.
Blinken brought us the Ukraine war, why not a war with Iran.
What are the areas of disagreement?
Iran’s sovereignty. Basically.
We’ve reached a new level of pitiful when Israel boasts aloud about how they are running us… Blinken better start looking for a new job.