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Iran is in need of economic relief, yet president-elect Joe Biden still needs to decide how to reverse the sanctions on Iran if he plans on rejoining the nuclear deal.
Iran also has a part to play before the elections in June. Any attempt will have to be made quickly within the first couple of months that Biden is in office. Current Iran president, Hassan Rouhani, was open to an agreement in 2015 called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but there isn’t any certainty that the next president of Iran will be open to deal-making. “Our aim is to lift the pressure of sanctions from the shoulders of our people. Wherever this favorable opportunity arises we will act on our responsibilities. No one should miss any opportunity,” said Rouhani according to NBC News.
Rouhani not only faces determined resistance from conservatives for the June 2021 elections, but a demanding request is expected if Iran plans on returning to the deal. This includes repealing the sanctions appointed by President Trump and billions of dollars in repayment for them. It will be unlikely for Biden to meet those requests, especially against strong legislative resistance, according to The New York Times.
After Biden officially becomes president, he plans on rejoining the agreement only if Iran agrees to follow a strict agreement. “First, I will make an unshakeable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Second, I will offer Tehran a credible path back to diplomacy,” Biden said according to Fox News.
The ambassador of Saudi Arabia in the United Nations, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, doesn’t believe Biden will rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. Al-Mouallimi doubts the Biden administration will steer away from Trump’s plan in place. “No, I think that the Iran nuclear deal had proven its failure to the entire world. And I don’t think that anybody is going to be naive enough to go back to the same deal,” stated Al-Mouallimi according to the New York Post.
