Russia may do Biden a favor by killing the Iran deal

Russia may do Biden a favor by killing the Iran deal

Politico- 3/14/2022

By NAHAL TOOSI and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN

In a desperate bid to save its economy, Russia has been making demands that could kill President Joe Biden’s effort to revive the Iran nuclear agreement.

Strangely enough, that might be a blessing for Biden.

The Kremlin — battered by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine — is trying to undermine the international negotiations with Iran. The last-minute moves have rattled Tehran and infuriated other countries who have spent roughly a year in talks to restore the nuclear deal.

U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that Russia’s intransigence could completely derail the negotiations.

But Moscow’s effort also comes as Biden faces growing pressure in Washington to abandon the agreement. Republicans have long opposed the deal, but concerns about its efficacy appear to be rising among Biden’s fellow Democrats.

Some career staffers at the State Department and others who work on Iran issues — including those who supported the original deal when it was struck in 2015 — are wary of restoring it now, according to current and former U.S. officials. They worry it is weaker today and that reviving it could involve giving Iran undeserved sanctions relief.

At least two members of the U.S. negotiating team have left in recent months over concerns about the talks’ direction. Ariane Tabatabai and Richard Nephew are political appointees, not career staffers, but are well-regarded experts on Iran. People familiar with the pair’s thinking said they thought the United States was leaning toward giving up too much in sanctions relief and that a restored deal would not be strong enough.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/14/russia-biden-killing-iran-deal-00017113