(19 Feb 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4311896
The Biden administration said Thursday it's ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, in a sharp repudiation of former President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” that sought to isolate the Islamic Republic.
The administration also took two steps at the United Nations aimed at restoring policy to what it was before Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.
The combined actions were immediately criticized by Iran hawks and are likely to draw concern from Israel and Gulf Arab states.
In addition to signaling a willingness to talk with Iran, the administration also reversed Trump’s determination that all U.N. sanctions against Iran had been restored.
And, it eased stringent restrictions on the domestic travel of Iranian diplomats posted to the United Nations.
"This is really a return to multilateral diplomacy, which is something that President Biden had said that he would do, so it's not a surprise in that respect, but what it is, is a sharp, sharp divergence from the policies of the previous administration," said Matthew Lee, Associated Press Diplomatic Writer.
The State Department announced the moves following discussions between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British, French and German counterparts, and as Biden prepares to participate, albeit virtually, in his first major international events with world leaders.
The announcement came a day before Biden is to speak to leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies and later in the day address the annual Munich Security Conference.
At both, Biden is expected to discuss his commitment to multilateral diplomacy and his desire to undo damage that Trump's positions may have caused over the previous four years.
In a statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. would accept an invitation from the European Union to attend a meeting of the participants - the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, along with Iran - in the original nuclear agreement.
“The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,” he said. The U.S. has not participated in a meeting of those participants since Trump withdrew from the deal and began steadily ramping up sanctions on Iran.
Such an invitation has not yet been issued but one is expected shortly, following Blinken's talks with the British, French and German foreign ministers.
The 2015 accord is aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies it is seeking such an arsenal.
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