The U.S. Iran Policy
Author: Anna Maloney
History
The formal diplomatic relationship between the United States and the nation of Iran has remained essentially non-existent since 1980, after the Iranian Revolution and the Iran Hostage Crisis. Tensions continued to build in the last decade of the 20th century, with the United States beginning an embargo on trade with Iran in 1995. Diplomatic relations between the two nations remained relatively unchanged until the creation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement between Iran, the European Union, Germany, and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States). An informal deal was struck in 2013, though negotiations continued for an additional 20 months. The final agreement, approved in 2015, is colloquially termed the Iran Nuclear Deal.
In early 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA, pledging to push for a better deal. At the time, he argued that the United States withdrawal would pressure Iran into accepting an agreement that would reach beyond its nuclear program and be more beneficial for U.S. interests. New negotiations quickly fell apart, and the United States re-leveled sanctions later that year. The deal was further damaged after the Baghdad Airport Strike on January 5th 2020, which killed the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Personally sanctioned by the United States and European Union during his life, General Soleimani was declared a terrorist by the United States government in 2005. His assassination came at the direct orders of then President Trump, with national security advisors at the time sharing that Soleimani had intended and planned to attack American diplomats and troops. The strike was not approved by the United States Congress, nor the Iraqi government, though the drone strike occurred over Iraqi airspace.
The assassination of Qasem Soleimani prompted the nation of Iran to declare that it would cease abiding by the Iran Nuclear Deal. When President Biden took office in 2021, his administration began new indirect talks with that of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Current Updates
The Biden Administration re-opened negotiations with Iran nearly two months ago. Within the last few days, 3 members of the Biden Administration have removed themselves from the State Department’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. One of the three members, Richard Nephew, was considered the “architect of sanctions on Tehran,” and removed himself from the position of U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Iran. Nephew was originally named the Principal Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy during President Obama’s time in office, where he worked on the creation of sanctions which pushed Iran into agreeing to the JCPOA. All three negotiators have urged the Biden administration to take a stronger stance in nuclear talks.
Looking Ahead
During his campaign for the presidency, Biden wrote that the “United States would rejoin the agreement as a starting point for follow-on negotiations” in a CNN op-ed. Yet, after a year in office, the Biden Administration remains negotiating indirectly with Iranian officials. The two sides continue to hold talks in Vienna on the subject of reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal, but remain stalled as neither nation has been willing to concede enough to entice the other. Recently, U.S. officials have stated their willingness for direct negotiation, with the US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, stating, “at any time and any place.” U.S. officials have also argued that there is a limited amount of time to salvage the JCPOA, before Iran develops too great a nuclear capability.
Looking ahead for the rest of 2022, it appears that the Biden Administration’s plan for Iran may need great modification. With neither the United States nor Iranian officials willing to make the next step to rejoin the JCPOA, inaction on the part of the U.S. Government could lead to greater long term conflict with Iran, or to the President leaving office in the same situation as his predecessor- not finishing negotiations, and leaving them to his successor. As the Biden Administration continues negotiations and Iran continues to move towards nuclear capability, one thing is certain. The clock is ticking.
Note: This article was last updated on January 25th, 2022, to reflect current updates to the Biden administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iranian officials.
