US and Iran closer to resuming nuclear deal talks

Next week the United States and Iran will move closer to reviving the nuclear deal the two countries signed with other states in 2015. Donald Trump withdrew the US from the pact in 2018, stoking tensions between Washington and Tehran. With Joe Biden in the White House, the situation is about to change, as one of his goals is to rejoin the agreement. To this end, through European, Russian and Chinese leaders, he will initiate indirect talks with Tehran. These negotiations will take place in Vienna, and direct meetings between Washington and Tehran are not expected to take place for the time being, although "the United States remains open to that possibility", said US diplomatic spokesman Ned Price. 

The rapprochement with the United States was announced on Friday during a virtual meeting between members of the pact. However, it is expected to be a long process of negotiations, although Washington sees this as a "healthy step forward", Price said. On the other hand, Iran has already set limits. "There will be no meeting between Iran and the United States," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. For Tehran, it is essential that Washington lift the sanctions it has imposed on Iran. "The end of US sanctions is the first step to revive the JCPOA," announced Abbas Araqchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister and nuclear negotiator. 

Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, will be a key figure in these negotiations. "The aim is for the United States to return to the agreement in the next two months, before the presidential elections in Iran", declared Borrell. The EU welcomes this step, which could lead to an improvement in relations between the United States and Iran. Moscow has also pledged to push these negotiations forward. "The feeling is that we are on the right track, but the road ahead will not be easy and will require intensive efforts," said Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian representative.

In contrast, some Republican politicians have not taken kindly to this attempt at US outreach. Two months later, the Biden administration is so desperate to return to a broken deal that it is giving up all leverage and offering humiliating concessions," tweeted Senator Tom Cotton. Richard Goldberg, former National Security Council director for countering weapons of mass destruction under the Trump administration, has also criticised this potential rapprochement. "Let's not forget that the Obama-Biden strategy with Iran was a disaster, sending them money while they were planning terrorist attacks against us. Biden wants to go back to that? Scary," he said. But Cotton and Goldberg are not the only critics of the decision. 43 senators, including 14 Democrats, have signed a letter calling on Joe Biden to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to restrict "Tehran's destabilising activity in the Middle East and its ballistic missile programme". The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC has supported this statement. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the politicians who showed his full support for Donald Trump when he decided to abandon the deal. "The Iran deal is a recipe for disaster," Netanyahu warned.