The Iranian flag in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters.Photo: Michael Gruber/Getty Images
Given Tehran’s crackdown on protesters, Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Iran’s position on its nuclear program, the Biden administration intends to “waste time” trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal at this point. No, said US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Murray. he said on Monday.
Important reasons: The Biden administration hasn’t officially said nuclear talks are over, but Murray’s comments at the Carnegie Endowment event were the closest the U.S. came to acknowledging there was no way forward.
State of play: There has been no movement in negotiations with Iran since Iranian officials rejected the EU’s proposal and presented additional demands in late August and early September, Malley said.
- He said protests had since erupted in Iran over the death of a woman in police custody, and there was growing evidence that Iran was supporting Russia in Ukraine. Murray said the Biden administration is now focused on those two issues.
what they say: Nuclear talks are “not our focus right now,” Murray said.
- “It’s not on our agenda. We’re not going to focus on the inert when other things are going on…and we’re not going to waste time on it…Iran “If you are taking the position taken by ,” said Marie.
Line spacing: Another Biden administration official recently told Axios that the White House’s position on nuclear talks is even tougher.
- The official said Tehran’s response to the protests combined with Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine had fundamentally changed the situation. So even if Iran came back to the table today and said it wanted a nuclear deal, it was unlikely the US would move forward, he said. .
- The official added that the administration is already looking at the situation as if there is no nuclear deal and is taking steps to ensure the U.S. has a military option.
Big picture: Murray said the Biden administration has not given up on diplomacy to resolve Iran’s nuclear problem, but President Biden is prepared to use military means as a last resort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Said there was.
What to see: Murray said the US would focus on dealing with Iran’s support for Russia and cracking down on protests using sanctions and other pressure tools.
- “There is nothing we are not doing because we are thinking about a potential future nuclear deal. We are not joining hands,” he said.
Further details: Fate of Iran deal comes down to ‘one big obstacle’
