Iran: Biden’s policies ‘contradict’ efforts to revive 2015 nuclear deal

Iran yesterday accused US President Joe Biden of adopting a policy that contradicts his declared desire to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.

This came following an opinion piece written by Biden for the Washington Post and published on Saturday ahead of his visit to the Middle East this week.

In his piece, Biden pointed to the “rapid acceleration” of Iran’s nuclear programme after Trump “reneged on a nuclear deal that was working”.

“My administration will continue to increase diplomatic and economic pressure until Iran is ready to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, as I remain prepared to do,” Biden wrote.

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said: “Mr. Joe Biden’s emphasis on pursuing the policy of economic and diplomatic pressure against Iran contradicts the United States’ continuously expressed willingness to revive the 2015 agreement and is in line with the Trump administration’s failed policy of maximum pressure against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“The current US government, despite its slogans and claims of returning to the agreement and making up for the mistakes of the previous US government, unfortunately in practice, follows the same approach by continuing sanctions and economic pressure,” he added.

Biden is scheduled to visit Israel and the occupied West Bank from 13-15 July, before travelling to Saudi Arabia.

The visit comes in light of a stalemate that dominates discussions to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and major powers on Iran’s nuclear programme, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

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The 2015 agreement allowed for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran in return for restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities. The US reimposed “unprecedented sanctions” on Iran after it reneged on the deal.

“The previous US government,” Kanaani continued, “by unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA (nuclear deal), actually caused serious damage to the strategy of multilateral diplomacy to resolve disputes.”

In his piece, Biden said during his Middle East tour, he wanted to “work for greater stability” in the region.

However, Kanaani said: “A safer and more stable Middle East can only be achieved if the US ends its divisive policy among the regional countries, stops the flow of weapons to the region, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries, abandons the policy of unconditional support for the Zionist regime, and also ends the policy of Iranophobia.”

The US must “avoid trying to impose American values and unilateralism and allow the countries of the region to act according to their own values, interests and realities and within the framework of regional cooperation to ensure their security and collective interests,” he added.