[ United With Israel ] Biden ‘Not Optimistic’ About Return to Iran Nuclear Deal
President Joe Biden’s mood on a U.S. return to the Iranian nuclear deal is “not optimistic,” according to an Israeli source quoted by Times of Israel. The report followed up on the president’s Friday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office.
The controversial Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) promised Iran economic incentives in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. It was agreed upon between Iran and the world powers in 2015. Former president Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in 2018. Negotiating a return to the nuclear agreement is a key foreign policy goal of the Biden administration.
“We’re putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us,” Biden said in the Oval Office, as Bennett sat by his side. “But if diplomacy fails, we’re ready ,to turn to other options.”
During his 50-minute private meeting with the President, Bennett proposed a two-pronged approach to dealing with Iran, according to Times of Israel by “confronting its regional activities in a quiet, multi-faceted ‘gray zone’ campaign, and keeping Tehran permanently a year away from nuclear breakout capability.”
Israel opposes an American return to the JCPOA agreement.
Israel’s Walla News reported that Bennett promised not to publicly campaign against a U.S. return to the Iranian nuclear deal. According to Walla, Bennett made similar pledges to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to not to publicly air his criticisms.
DPA Notes: Biden seemed to be taking up some of the Trump’s policies… from returning to build the wall, to withdrawing from Afghanistan and now, not returning to the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Its starting to get a little hard to read/predict Biden administration’s policy positions…