Former Israel ambassador joins U.S. Iran team

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has joined the State Department’s Iran team as a senior adviser, a senior State Department official tells Axios.

Why it matters: Israel is pressing the Biden administration to start discussing a “Plan B” in case diplomacy with Iran fails. Shapiro, who has a personal relationship with many Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is equipped to play a key role in any such talks. His portfolio will be the regional aspects of the Iranian issue and coordination with Israel.

State of play: Indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran about a possible mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal were suspended after the Iranian elections in June. It’s unclear if and when they’ll resume.

• The new Iranian president and senior members of his government signaled they’d take a tougher line than their predecessors, restarting negotiations from zero.
• That led many Israeli and U.S. officials to think that a return to the 2015 deal, which was canceled by President Trump, is less likely at the moment.
• Israel is concerned this limbo will allow Iran to make even more progress in its nuclear program. It wants to urgently put together a joint strategy with the U.S. to counter Iran.
• The prime minister unveiled what he called a “death-by-a-thousand-cuts” strategy during his meeting Friday with President Biden. The president said that if diplomacy with Iran fails, he’s ready to consider other options.

Driving the news: Shapiro went through a security clearance process and started working last week as a “part-time senior adviser” to U.S. envoy for Iran Rob Malley, a senior State Department official told Axios.

• Shapiro was in Washington ahead of the Biden-Bennett meeting and advised the State Department on several issues, though he did not meet the Israeli delegation, a source familiar with the issue said.
• State Department officials say Shapiro will spend half of his time in Washington and half in Israel, where he’ll work out of the U.S. embassy.
• One of his main missions will be to engage in discussions with the Israeli prime minister’s office, the foreign ministry, and the ministry of defense to enhance coordination and allow a more intimate dialogue about Iran.Be smart: In recent months, Shapiro’s name came up in several press reports as a possible U.S. special envoy for promoting normalization between Israel and the Arab world.
  • The president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want to push forward normalization but haven’t decided if they want to appoint a special envoy.
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