Middle East
State Department walks back on talks of ‘imminent’ status of Iran Nuclear Deal
The United States Department of State is pausing on its rhetoric of an “imminent” status of an Iran Nuclear Deal. On Monday State Department spokesman Ned Price said “an agreement is neither imminent nor is it certain.”
The State Department has said negotiations have made progress, although many are disappointed the Biden administration has even considered entering back into an agreement with Iran after former President Donald Trump removed the United States from the deal.
“Since there have not been public updates on the details or progress, lawmakers on both sides as well as media commentators have been skeptical of how the deal is being negotiated and what it will include” writes the Foreign Desk.
Being discussed are sanctions, detainment of Western nationals, Iran’s support of Houthi terrorists, and a U.S. desire to lengthen Iran’s ‘breakout time,’ which is the time it would take to accumulate enough material to make a nuclear weapon.
The breakout time was about a year under the previous 2015 Join Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) limits, according to the State Department.
“JCPOA, the Obama-era nuclear deal between Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the U.S., which aimed to restrict the Iran regime’s weapons development program failed to do so the first time around” adds Foreign Desk.
Iran has never been compliant nor honest in its dealings or negotiations. Iran denies its builds, refuses inspections and “deviated from JCPOA restrictions since the last U.S. inspection for compliance under President Trump in 2017. The U.S. then withdrew from the agreement in 2018.”
Iran’s current breakout time is estimated to be as short as a few weeks. “We are prepared to make difficult decisions to return Iran’s nuclear program to its JCPOA limits,” Price said.
Reaching an agreement at this time would hinge on whether Iran was interested in voluntarily returning to compliance with JCPOA limits, the State Department said Tuesday.
“We want to see… that Iran is verifiably and permanently barred from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Price said, adding that President Biden remains committed to preventing Iran from going nuclear with or without a return to the original JPCOA agreement.
Israeli media reported Sunday that Jerusalem has provisionally agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, the Islamic Republic-backed militia in Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the framework after consultations with senior cabinet members and defense officials, according to Haaretz, Kan, and Ynet.
Foreign Desk News reports that the proposed ceasefire involves a three-phase process. First, Hezbollah operatives would relocate north of the Litani River. Next, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw to within Israel’s borders. Finally, mediation would begin between Israel and Lebanon to address unresolved territorial disputes.
Key to Israel’s agreement is a U.S. assurance letter permitting military action in the demilitarized zone if Hezbollah attempts to rearm and the Lebanese armed forces fail to intervene. A U.S.-led international oversight committee will enforce the terms of the agreement.
While Netanyahu expressed some concerns, sources indicate he accepted the core elements of the deal. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, is expected to arrive in Tel Aviv on Monday to finalize the details.
The agreement marks a significant diplomatic effort to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, amid ongoing regional instability.
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