Joe Biden’s vision for re-establishing a working relationship with Iran and rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal has been complicated by reports that the Trump administration plans to impose a “flood” of sanctions on the nation until the President-elect’s inauguration on January 20.
According to a new report by Axios, the current government is working with ally Israel to institute a series of restrictive measures on Iran ten weeks ahead of Inauguration Day. The sanctions will be connected to Tehran’s ballistic missile program, Iranian assistance to terror organizations, and Iran’s human rights violations.
The US State Department’s special representative for Iran and Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, reportedly met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat in Israel on Sunday to discuss the plan and is expected to meet Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Chief Benny Gantz on Monday. The US envoy will also travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss the measures.
Israeli sources told Axios that the US government believes that these sanctions will not only increase pressure on Tehran but also make it harder for Biden to return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trump abandoned in 2018. Since then, the Trump administration has unilaterally reimposed all US sanctions on the country, most recently, on its entire financial sector in order to pressure Tehran into abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
Trump’s maximum pressure campaign has been heavily criticized by the Iranian leadership, which has condemned the US for engaging in crimes against humanity, by “blowing up” the country’s channels to pay for food and medicines and conspiring to starve a population. Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East, and US sanctions have not only plunged the country into the deep recesses of a crumbling currency, spiralling prices, and increasing unemployment, but also made it difficult for Iran to import humanitarian goods. Iran has also retaliated by exceeding its uranium stockpile and heavy water limits, which were agreed upon in the 2015 deal.
While campaigning for the 2020 US election, Joe Biden had promised to reinstate the 2015 accord if Iran agrees to comply with the terms of the agreement. The new President-elect, who was Vice President when the nuclear deal was struck, pledged that the US would rejoin the accord “as a starting point for follow-on negotiations.” However, on November 9, Iran made clear that it had no intention of returning to the negotiating table. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced: “The nuclear agreement is a thing of the past, and it cannot be reopened and renegotiated by anyone”. He further added that America “violated Resolution 2231, withdrew from the nuclear agreement, and is responsible for the losses inflicted on Iran, and it must bear responsibility for its violation of international law and its behaviour against Iran”.
To add fuel to the fire, sources have told Reuters that the US is expected to impose additional sanctions on the country as early as next week, targeting Iranians involved in a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations in Iran last year. The designations are likely to involve multiple individuals, as well as several dozen Iranian entities.
“If true, it will simply be indicative of the desperation of an administration whose hostility towards the people of Iran is well-known,” said Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations (UN).
Trump to Impose “Flood” of Sanctions Against Iran Ahead of Biden’s Inauguration
The measures are expected to not just put pressure on Tehran, but also make it difficult for Joe Biden to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump abandoned in 2018.
November 11, 2020
SOURCE: The VinciWorks Blog