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Timing Running Short for Iran

In a recent press conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken – along with his counterparts from Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – advised Iran that “time is running short” for them to re-enter the 2015 nuclear deal agreement that put a stop to its nuclear activities.

He went on to say that the United States is ready to pursue other options if Tehran – the capital of Iran – does not continue compliance.

The United States, Israel, and the UAE are together in the belief that Iran cannot be allowed access to nuclear weapons.

Former President Donald Trump abandoned the JCPOA in 2018, which gave Iran the ground to steadily begin violating the accord, setting restrictions on the amount and purity of Iran’s uranium stockpile in exchange for sanctions relief.

With the new administration in office, the United States wants to return to talks aimed at riving the deal, which has been on hold since June due to the election of President Ebrahim Raisi – known to be an uncompromising man. And Iran has said they’re willing to return to Vienna for the seventh round of negotiations but refuse to set a date.

“We are getting close to a point at which returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will not in and of itself recapture the benefits of the JCPOA, and that’s because Iran has been using this time to advance its nuclear program in a variety of ways,” said Blinken.

Blinken, the top diplomat of the United States, said the Biden administration aims to improve upon the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

The Biden administration will move forward with plans to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem, which functioned as an embassy for Palestinians before Trump closed it in 2018.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who was at the same press conference, said, “Israel reserves the right to act any given moment in any way. That is not only our right, it is also our responsibility. Iran has publicly stated it wants to wipe us out. We have no intention of letting that happen.”

Kourtney Spak

Kourtney Spak is an american journalist and political commentator. Her journalism career focuses on American domestic policy and also foreign affairs. She also writes on environment, climate change and economy.