Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the meeting of the National Coronavirus Combat Board (Covid-19) in Tehran, Iran, on November 21, 2020.
Iranian Presidency Document Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – Iran on Sunday rejected an invitation from world powers that signed the 2015 nuclear deal to discuss the regime’s possible return to the negotiating table, a significant setback in the Biden administration’s efforts to reactivate the ‘agreement.
“Given the recent actions and statements of the United States and three European powers, Iran does not consider it appropriate to hold an informal meeting with these countries, which was proposed by the EU’s foreign policy chief.” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. , according to state media in Tehran.
The White House said Sunday that the Biden administration was disappointed with Iran’s decision to skip the informal meeting with the US and other signatories to the 2015 pact: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.
“While we are disappointed with Iran’s response, we remain prepared to re-engage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return on compliance with JCPOA commitments,” a senior US official told NBC News. administration.
“We will consult our P5 + 1 partners on the best way forward,” the official said, referring to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.
The Biden administration has previously said it wants to reactivate the nuclear deal, but will not suspend sanctions until Tehran complies. Tehran has refused to negotiate as long as U.S. sanctions are maintained.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA), promoted by the Obama administration, lifted sanctions on Iran that had paralyzed its economy and cut oil exports by about half. In exchange for billions of dollars in relief from sanctions, Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections.
The US and its European allies believe Iran has ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran has denied this accusation.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump kept a campaign promise and withdrew the United States from the JCPOA calling it the “worst deal in history.” Following Washington’s exit from the nuclear deal, other signatories to the pact have tried to keep the deal alive.
U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, June 15, 2020.
Doug Mills | NYTimes | Getty Images
In a letter published in Sunda ‘, Republican senators warned President Joe Biden not to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal because it is “full of problems” and instead pushed for a broader deal.
“The scope of any agreement with Iran must address the full range of Iranian conduct, including regional terrorism, ballistic missiles and the detention of American citizens. It is not uncommon for Iranian representatives to give support for Assad’s atrocities in Syria, attack our troops and diplomats in Iraq, have driven Lebanon to the brink of collapse, threaten our Israeli and Gulf partners, and contribute to the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster in the world. Yemen, ”wrote Mr. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio in a joint letter to Biden.
Despite criticism of the “maximum pressure” campaign, there is no denying that it has inflicted a cost on Iran for its malicious activities and that it is now offering your administration leverage to get a better deal with Iran. We know Iran cannot be trusted. It is fulfilling its commitments, “the senators wrote.
Washington’s ongoing confrontation with Tehran
An Iranian stroll past iconic graffiti on the walls of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran during a protest on November 4, 2018.
Majid Saeedi | Getty Images
The tension of Washington’s relationship with Tehran turned several times worse under the Trump administration.
Last year, the United States carried out an air strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander. Iran retaliated by firing at least a dozen missiles from its territory on January 7 at two military bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops and coalition forces.
A day later, from the White House, Trump said Iran appeared to be “stopped” and warned Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
After the deadly U.S. strike, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Trump administration had committed an “act of terror.”
The Iranian mourners gather during the final stage of the funeral processions by the assassinated General Qasem Soleimani, in his hometown, Kerman, on January 7, 2020.
Atta Kenare | AFP | Getty Images
Soleimani’s death caused the regime to further reduce compliance with the international nuclear pact. In January 2020, Iran said it would no longer limit its uranium enrichment capacity or nuclear research.
In October, the United States unilaterally re-imposed UN sanctions on Tehran through an instant process, which other members of the UN Security Council have previously said Washington does not have the authority to impose. ‘run because it withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.
A month later, a top Iranian nuclear scientist was killed near Tehran, leading the Iranian government to allege that Israel was behind the attack with US support.
A view shows the scene of the attack that killed prominent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on November 27, 2020.
WANA via Reuters
During the summer of 2019, a series of attacks in the Persian Gulf put the US and Iran on a path to greater confrontation.
In June, U.S. officials said an Iranian surface-to-air missile fired a U.S. military surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the plane was on its territory. The strike came a week after the United States accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region and following the attack on four oil tankers in May.
The United States in June imposed new sanctions on Iranian military leaders accused of dropping the drone. The measures also aimed to block financial resources for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Tensions escalated again in September 2019, when the United States blamed Iran for strikes in Saudi Arabia at the world’s largest crude oil processing plant and oil field.
That attack forced the kingdom to halve its production operations and caused the largest rise in crude oil prices in decades and renewed concerns about a new war in the Middle East. Iran claims it was not behind the attacks.