Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has joined the Iranian State Department team as a senior adviser, a senior State Department official told Axios.
Why it’s important: Israel is pressuring the Biden administration to start discussing a “Plan B” in case diplomacy fails with Iran. Shapiro, who maintains a personal relationship with many Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is poised to play a key role in those talks. His portfolio will be the regional aspects of the Iranian issue and coordination with Israel.
Game status: Indirect talks between the US and Iran on a possible mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal were suspended after the June Iranian elections. It is unclear if and when they will resume.
- The new Iranian president and senior members of his government indicated that they would take a harder line than their predecessors, restarting negotiations from scratch.
- This has led many Israeli and American officials to think that a return to the 2015 agreement, which was canceled by President Trump, is less likely at this time.
- Israel is concerned that this limbo will allow Iran to advance further in its nuclear program. It urgently wants to work out a joint strategy with the US to fight Iran.
- The prime minister revealed what he called a “death by a thousand cuts” strategy during his meeting Friday with President Biden. The president said that if diplomacy with Iran fails, he is willing to consider other options.
Leading the news: Shapiro went through a security clearance process and began working last week as a “part-time senior adviser” to U.S. envoy to Iran Rob Malley, a senior US official told Axios. Department of State.
- Shapiro was in Washington before the Biden-Bennett meeting and advised the State Department on several issues, although he did not meet with the Israeli delegation, a source familiar with the matter said.
- State Department officials say Shapiro will spend half his time in Washington and half in Israel, where he will work at the U.S. embassy.
- One of its main missions will be to engage in discussions with the Israeli prime minister’s office, the foreign ministry and the defense ministry to improve coordination and allow for a more intimate dialogue on Iran.
Be smart: In recent months, Shapiro’s name appeared in several press reports as a possible US special envoy to promote normalization between Israel and the Arab world.
- President and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want to push through standardization, but have not decided whether they want to appoint a special envoy.
Between lines: In December 2020, after the election of Biden, Shapiro wrote an opinion for the Washington Post emphasizing that the United States and Israel should enter into a close dialogue.
- He recommended drafting a joint strategy on Iran and avoiding a public struggle like when the first nuclear deal ended in 2015.
What they say: A senior State Department official told Axios that Malley recruited Shapiro as part of his commitment to receive a wide range of views on Iran. While he supported the 2015 deal, Shapiro takes a more centrist approach to Iran.
- “Dan’s experience and knowledge of the region and the fact that people in the region know him will help us think about the regional aspects of the Iranian issue and will contribute a lot to our coordination with Israel,” he told Axios on State Department official.
What follows: Malley will add more advisers to his team in the coming weeks to expand it and integrate more experts with divergent views on Iran.