| US President Joe Biden (left) and Secretary of State Tony Blincoln visit the State Department for the first time after taking office. © AFP=News1 |
It is noteworthy that while the US has declared that it will return to the traditional diplomatic arena, it is showing concrete movements related to the return of the Iranian nuclear agreement (JCPOA, Comprehensive Joint Action Plan).
According to Axios on the 4th (local time), the White House is scheduled to hold a National Security Council (NSC) Ministerial Committee (PC) on Iran’s nuclear program on the 5th.
It is known that the ministerial-level committee held in the White House situation room will involve key national security personnel, including the defense minister, and will discuss policy at the level just before proposing (return to nuclear agreement) to the president. The main agenda is whether Iran will return to the nuclear agreement before or after the June presidential election, a source familiar with the matter said.
Axios reported that Secretary of State Tony Blincoln will also hold video talks on related issues with the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018, imposing economic sanctions on Iran, which rapidly froze between U.S. and Iranian relations. However, President Joe Biden has consistently expressed his intention that Iran can return to the nuclear agreement if Iran fulfills its promises well since his days as a candidate. They also urged them to return to the agreement.
In his visit to the State Department, President Biden did not mention the return of the nuclear agreement. However, “the civil war in Yemen must end,” and it is noted that it will cut off support for military attacks against Saudi Arabia. The civil war in Yemen has shown the appearance of a proxy war between Saudi, a suscepter of Islamic Sunni, and Iran, a Shiite leader supporting the rebels. For this reason, President Biden’s remarks can be read as an expression of his willingness to pursue diplomatic relations that do not focus on one side in the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia and Iran are’angsuk’.
Former President Trump’s’Love in Saudi Arabia’ was unusual. However, with the inauguration of the Biden administration, the United States is attempting to distance itself by announcing that it will temporarily halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia and will review existing contracts.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also suggested that the United States will continue its diplomatic efforts against Iran. “We are actively cooperating with European countries,” said Sullivan on the 4th. “These consultations will create a unified front on our strategy.”
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