The Biden administration acknowledges that the nuclear deal with Iran may not happen, despite its constant communication with Tehran.
According to Foreign Policy magazine, the Biden administration plans to blame former US President Donald Trump, whose withdrawal from the nuclear deal supposedly provided Iran with an excuse to boost its nuclear weapons capabilities. But the uncomfortable truth is that Iran's most aggressive moves came after the election of US President Joe Biden, which is moving Tehran forward not because of Trump's maximum pressure campaign, but because of Biden's decision to reduce that pressure.
Early in December, the administration acknowledged that it was discussing alternatives "if the path to diplomacy toward a mutual return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal is not viable in the near term." A US State Department spokesperson made the comment while Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was visiting Washington to propose joint military exercises to prepare for possible attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. The need for such consultations indicates that a deal is out of reach.
Earlier this month, an unnamed senior US official warned that “in the first quarter of 2022, Tehran could make things happen and quickly get one bomb.” In other words, Iran took advantage of the protracted negotiations in Vienna to move toward a nuclear breakthrough.
Washington's European allies also know that the talks are headed for failure. However, admitting failure and taking responsibility are two very different things. Biden will have to realize that it was his own decisions, not those of Trump, that got the United States to this point.
According to the report, Biden encouraged Tehran's march towards the bomb by refusing to impose any sanctions on the Tehran regime because of its provocations.
Even if the censure is discussed at the next regular meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in March, the outcome will not be fortuitous. The US management will have to go through a lot of diplomacy in effect needed to secure the board approval.
The report concluded that Tehran's accumulation of knowledge about the development of nuclear weapons would irreparably damage the global nonproliferation regime and lead to a more dangerous world. If Biden hopes to stop Iran, he will have to realize that it was his own decisions, not the decisions of anyone else, that got the United States to this point, the report said.
