Where Biden Regime Hardliners Stand on Iran

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

On Thursday via teleconference by an unidentified Biden regime official and reporters, it was clear that the US has no intention of returning to the JCPOA as affirmed by Security Council Res. 2231 — making it binding international and US constitutional law.

Below is what the Biden regime official said:

Ignoring Iran's full compliance with its JCPOA obligations — in stark contrast to Washington having abandoned them by Trump, Biden doing nothing to reverse his policies so far — the US official said:

The Biden regime demands "compliance-for-compliance (sic)."

"If Iran…wants to return to the JCPOA as (it) was negotiated, then it could be done relatively quickly (sic)."

"We don't know if they've decided that they're prepared for a strict mutual return to compliance and whether they're prepared to do so now (sic)."

What's ahead "is ultimately a matter of a political decision that needs to be made in Iran (sic)."

Since Trump's unlawful May 2018 JCPOA pullout, "Iran's nuclear program is now galloping forward (sic), and its regional behavior has become more aggressive (sic)."

All of the above is typical of how US hardliners distort reality and turn truth on its head — one of many reasons why it can never be trusted, why talks in Vienna are likely going nowhere.

Iranian officials stressed many times that its nuclear program — with no military component — will fully return to how it operated after the JCPOA was unanimously approved by Security Council members in 2015 — straightaway if the Biden regime complies with its provisions.

Steps Iran took since Trump's illegal pullout three years ago fully comply with the agreement's Article 26 and 36.

After over 100 days in office, Biden did nothing to comply with his regime's JCPOA obligations.

Nor has his geopolitical team done anything to suggest a reversal of this lawless policy.

At most, it suggested possible willingness to lift some sanctions related to the landmark agreement, leaving others in place, along with affirming the right to impose new illegal sanctions on Iran at its discretion for invented reasons.

Here's more of what the Biden regime official said on Thursday:

His geopolitical team "will do everything it can to make sure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons (sic)" — knowing its ruling authorities don't seek them, never did, and want them eliminated everywhere.

The Biden regime may only comply with what it considers "consistent" to the JCPOA.

Sanctions and other policies it considers unrelated to the agreement will remain in place — a deal-breaker.

In other words, whatever Biden regime hardliners consider beneficial to US national security interests will remain official policy — even what flagrantly breaches the letter and spirit of the JCPOA and other international law.

Longstanding US practice reflects a do as we demand policy or we'll smash you, not as we do reality.

As for compliance with the JCPOA, the US reserves the unilateral right to decide what it will or will not observe — for invented reasons, not legitimate ones.

The above policy is a prescription for Biden regime noncompliance while pretending it's acting in good faith — the latter always off the table in dealings with other countries, especially ones free from its control like Iran.

Resolving differences between the US and Iran on all things related to the JCPOA is as simple as the Biden regime's full compliance with Security Council Res. 2231 the US is a signatory to.

Yet for over three-and-a-half months since usurping power, its hardliners did nothing in accordance with the above — other than making empty promises it hasn't taken step one to fulfill.

At the same time, it falsely suggests a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program that doesn't exist and never did.

It falsely accuses Iran of regional aggression, terrorism and other hostile actions — how the US operates worldwide, not the Islamic Rpublic anywhere.

The unnamed Biden regime official falsely accused Iran of making "unrealistic demands…in terms of demanding more than the JCPOA requires (sic) in terms of our sanctions relief and unrealistic commitments by them in terms of their nuclear advances (sic)."

The above phony claims turned truth on its head.

In stark contrast to duplicitous US dealings with other countries, Iran consistently negotiates and deals with nations on the world stage in good faith.

As to where things stand based on Vienna talks so far, the unnamed US official said "(n)othing has been agreed at this point."  

"There's been some greater convergence on some issues, lesser convergence on others."

Precisely what this means is unclear because of how the US twists things to serve its own interests at the expense of other nations.

Saying Iran has "yet to agree to the steps (it) would need to take to come back into compliance with (its) nuclear obligations" is a bald-faced Big Lie — as explained above.

Numerous times before, Iran was explicit on action it'll take if and when the US reverses its breach of the JCPOA.

The ball is in its hands, not in Tehran's as the US side falsely claims.

At the same time, its hardliners ignore US endless wars by hot and/or other means against numerous invented enemies like Iran — and ordinary Americans.

Based on its longstanding duplicitous history from the republic's inception, nothing remotely suggests that hardline extremists in charge of Biden's geopolitical agenda have any intention of even somewhat normalizing relations with nonbelligerent Iran.

Just the opposite is likely, perhaps intending to maintain Trump's abandonment of the JCPOA while falsely blaming Iran for its lawless action.

Time and again, the US operates this way.

After 42 years of US hostility toward Iran, nothing suggests a change of policy ahead.

Nor based on remarks by its officials is it likely that Biden regime hardliners will comply with its JCPOA obligations.

While nothing ahead is certain, most likely the landmark agreement is doomed as a result of US noncompliance.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

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