WANA (July 24) – In an article, The Hill described Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA as one of the worst historical mistakes in U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing that the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s president would be a good opportunity for Biden to return to the JCPOA. This would enable him to end his presidency with a significant security victory and create conditions for a peaceful and stable Middle East.

 

Dylan Williams, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Center for International Policy, wrote that the gradual collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, following Trump’s unilateral withdrawal, has caused widespread damage to the United States and Middle Eastern security.

 

Williams noted that President Biden had an opportunity early in his administration to revive the JCPOA. Many experts advised him to immediately reverse Trump’s disastrous withdrawal and reduce tensions with Iran diplomatically, as he had explicitly promised during his 2020 campaign.

 

The analysis highlighted that Biden’s administration, after taking office, delayed diplomacy with Iran and continued many of Trump’s disastrous policies, even expanding them. Trump’s sanctions, in violation of the JCPOA, not only remained but increased under Biden.

 

Williams viewed the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s next president as another opportunity for a new agreement with Iran and a chance to restore some of the critical elements of the JCPOA. Pezeshkian, a supporter of the 2015 Iran deal, has explicitly opened the doors for diplomacy to revive the nuclear deal in exchange for lifting anti-Iran sanctions. This gives Biden an unexpected yet timely chance to advance U.S. and Middle Eastern security by reducing tensions between the two countries in the remaining time of his presidency.

 

The article further argued that the benefits of reviving diplomacy are evident given that maintaining and expanding Trump’s disastrous “maximum pressure” policy with increasing sanctions on Iran failed to prevent Iran’s nuclear advancements. On the other hand, renewing diplomatic approaches regarding Iran’s nuclear file and beyond offers a way to avoid escalating tensions amidst multiple related conflicts in the Middle East.

 

Williams suggested that the evident advantages of diplomacy over continued escalation with Iran could be a consideration for Vice President Kamala Harris, a potential Democratic candidate in the upcoming U.S. election. Most Americans initially supported the JCPOA, and it gained more popularity after Trump’s withdrawal.

 

Less than one in three Americans supported Trump’s exit from the deal. A Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey last September showed that Americans had solid support for renewed engagement with Iran.

 

According to this study, 63% of Americans, including 55% of Republicans, favored a U.S. agreement with Iran that would impose strict restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for lifting some sanctions.

 

The same study found that 72% of Americans, including 76% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 65% of Republicans, supported direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Given the upcoming presidential elections, these numbers indicate American solid public support for this issue compared to any other policy.

 

Williams identified the biggest obstacle to restoring the Iran nuclear deal as the uncertainty in Iran and the rest of the world regarding any potential agreement or progress made during Biden’s presidency should Trump return to power.

 

While the U.S. presidential election won’t revolve around reaching an agreement with Iran, pursuing and finalizing this deal in the coming months could energize the upcoming election, especially among independents and Democrats who support the deal.

 

The article concluded by noting that, given Biden’s fewer achievements in the Middle East compared to other areas, reviving the JCPOA presents an opportunity to demonstrate the Biden administration’s efforts in enhancing security and de-escalating tensions in the region, which would be unwise to squander.