U.S.- #Iran Standoff Shows Difficulty of Salvaging Nuclear Deal - Bloomberg

U.S.-Iran Standoff Shows Difficulty of Salvaging Nuclear Deal - Bloomberg

The Biden administration sought to extend an olive branch to Iran in order to entice the Islamic Republic back to talks on resuscitating the 2015 nuclear deal.

Leaders in Tehran quickly made clear it’s not going to be so easy.

After the U.S. said Thursday it was ready to meet with Iran along with other participants in the accord that former President Donald Trump quit three years ago, Iran signaled that there would be no fast re-entry into the deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country will rejoin talks only after the U.S. drops sanctions -- something the U.S. has repeatedly ruled out.

“Before any negotiation, there is the chest-thumping phase, and so that’s what we’re seeing from Iran now,” said Gerard Araud, a former French ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations who helped negotiate sanctions on Iran before the 2015 accord was reached. “Both sides are looking for a way back in that allows them to save face with their constituencies back home.”