A victory in the June contest by a figure more radical than current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could escalate Iran’s demands at the bargaining table and its destabilizing policies in the region, analysts say, putting in danger any hope of . more > By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times - Sunday, February 7, 2021
The United States and Iran are at a diplomatic stalemate as both sides dig in and refuse to make the first move toward the resurrection of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers, including the U.S.
President Biden and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said in no uncertain terms Sunday that their respective nation will not make the first formal overture, dashing hopes among Democratic lawmakers, pro-diplomacy advocates and some U.S. allies that the Biden administration would bring with it a rapid thawing of relations with Tehran and
Biden administration officials, meanwhile, have said that Tehran must act first by bringing its uranium-enrichment levels back into compliance with the levels set in the JCPOA.
The signing of the JCPOA marked a turning point in relations between Washington and Tehran. The historic agreement brought the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China together in a united front to require Iran to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions.
But Mr. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, and his administration quickly pursued a “maximum-pressure campaign” to starve Iran’s economy through crippling sanctions.
Mr. Biden has signaled a desire to return to the deal or another pact like it, but officials argue that Iran must hold up its end of the bargain first.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to remove Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei from its platform in a January 22 letter.