Antony Blinken gives Iran a wake-up call
The new US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has been quick to respond to Iran's threats to block the visit of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors next month if the US did not lift sanctions imposed after its exit from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Blinken has pointed out that, although Joe Biden wants to rejoin the JCPOA, this will only happen when Iran complies with the agreements made in 2015, which it has been in breach of for several months, in addition to the recent threats and provocations. The secretary of state has indicated that, because of all this, his return to the agreement will take time. First, he said, "Iran must announce compliance with its obligations and an end to threats, and then the United States will verify that compliance before returning".
Tehran and Washington are at loggerheads over who should make the first move. According to Iran, it should be the United States, since it was the one that broke off relations when Donald Trump took the country off the negotiating table. The US points out that Iran, being on the inside, is the one that must show its commitment and comply with what has been agreed, before demanding that the US return to the table.
The situation has become a tug-of-war in which the escalation continues. The US exit and imposition of sanctions was met with increased production of enriched uranium. The US killed the head of Iran's nuclear programme as well as other figures in the ayatollahs' regime, to which Iran responded with new breaches of the points included in the nuclear deal. Both now point out that it is up to the other to take the first step to de-escalate a situation that is far from easy.
As if that were not enough, the United States has once again sent several B-52 bombers –the first time since Biden took office– to fly over the Gulf, to make a new show of force, something that has been repeated on several occasions in recent months. Similarly, Iran has conducted a number of manoeuvres and exercises that have raised concerns in the Gulf states.
Tension continues between Washington and Tehran as Israeli pressure mounts on the White House. Tel Aviv has warned of the serious implications of Iran's nuclear programme and the risk of changing the course adopted by Donald Trump, which is much tougher than the one Joe Biden is expected to develop. Israel has clearly sided with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Egypt in what it has called an alliance against Iran.
Despite the message coming from Israel, Antony Blinken has expressed US commitment to the country's security, also pointing to the close cooperation between the two countries to achieve peace and stability in the region. Blinken congratulated Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on the Abraham Accords as a great example of peace in the region.