Robert Mali: A proposal to reduce sanctions on Tehran could save Borjam

“Efforts to revive the 2015 agreement have run into trouble, but the offer of a” limited “reduction in sanctions on Tehran could still save the deal and pave the way for a broader agreement,” the top US envoy to Iran told the US Senate.

Acknowledging the failure of the policy of maximum pressure against Iran, Robert Mali told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Wednesday that local time was the best way to go about Iran’s nuclear program.

He also reiterated Washington’s claims about progress on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and feared that such a return would help Iran’s nuclear program following the decision by former US President Donald Trump in 2018. Accelerate to get out of it, be limited.

“After more than a year of talks in Vienna that seem to have lost momentum, time is running out,” the US special envoy for Iran said, without mentioning his country’s ambitions in the Vienna talks. We do not have an agreement with Iran and the prospect of achieving it at best is weak.

Reiterating Washington’s claims, Robert Mali continued: “We and all our European partners are convinced that we can offer a limited reduction in sanctions in exchange for Iran taking important steps to back down and curb its nuclear program, as well as from the reservoir.” Use the vast remaining sanctions and other tools at our disposal to suppress and target other dangerous activities in this country.

“The simple truth is that Borjam acted as a means of limiting Iran’s nuclear activities. It is from Barjam. Without making that decision, we could have focused all our efforts and pressure on working with our allies and partners to contain Iran and counter its actions.

The US envoy to Iran has made claims about Iran’s threats to the United States, including supporting terrorist groups, directing attacks on US forces in the Middle East and detaining foreign nationals and dual nationals for political purposes. It has actively diverted the focus of US officials from other Iranian activities.

“We have no doubt that, whether it is a nuclear deal or not, the Iranian government remains a threat,” he said. But the bottom line is that if Iran’s leaders acquire a nuclear weapon, or, as they do today, are close enough to acquire enough nuclear material for a nuclear weapon, all our problems with Iran will greatly increase, and our freedom of action to deal with them will increase. Will be reduced to them.

“If no agreement is reached with Iran, Washington is ready to increase sanctions on Iran,” Robert Mali said.

The Biden government official also acknowledged that the Biden administration had not lifted even one of the sanctions imposed on Iran.

He further added that Washington would continue to work on reviving the agreement until it recognizes that the non-proliferation benefits of returning to the IAEA outweigh the easing of sanctions on Iran.

The US official also said that he was ready to lift the sanctions against Iran if an agreement was reached.

The Special Representative for Iran, while saying that all options are on the table, stressed that an attack on Iran’s nuclear program will only slow down its progress and will not stop it.
Meanwhile, Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Democrat who opposed the BJP’s initial agreement, said he did not know why the Biden administration was still willing to negotiate and what the US plan would do if the talks failed.
“Why are we still keeping the door open?” He asked. What is your plan b?

Robert Mali continued that the United States is working with Israel and its European partners to deter and respond to any action by Iran, including attacks on US partners, as well as its missile and drone program.
He avoided saying whether the United States might support condemning Iran at the June meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors.

He also said he was confident that whatever the outcome of the nuclear talks, the European allies would act in concert with Washington, “whether it is on sanctions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and strengthening the Gulf partners to counter Iran.” . “

Any agreement with Iran must be considered by Congress

“Any new agreement with Iran must be considered by Congress, and we expect the Biden administration to abide by the law,” said Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Menendez continued: “Iran has been strengthened by China today. According to reports, China imported 650,000 barrels per day of oil from Iran in April alone.” Oil that should be subject to US sanctions. But China buys this oil at a discount from Iran, which has led to a flood of cash for Iran.

Sen. Jim Rish, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said that the continued sale of Iranian oil to China is a major problem.

“We all need to do better,” Robert Mali said. Sanctions are not a magic solution to a complex problem.

The US Special Representative for Iran said that if an agreement was reached to return to Borjam, the government would submit it to Congress for consideration.

Menendez praised the US government’s commitment to presenting any new agreement to Congress for consideration and the decision to keep the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the list of so-called terrorist organizations.

Stating that all these are positive measures, he criticized the US government for not implementing sanctions against Iran and selling its oil to China.

The military option is not the solution / the only available option is the diplomatic solution

“We have tried the option of putting economic pressure on Iran and intensifying it, and we have seen that Iran’s behavior has worsened,” said Sen. Chris Moffy, a Democratic senator.

“It is difficult to bomb knowledge in Iran,” Murphy said. The military option against Iran has significant limitations and increases the risk of starting a major war in the region.

The US special envoy for Iran also said that the military option could not solve the problem, the only option was a diplomatic solution.

“As I told Senator Murphy, a military strike is not the answer to Iran’s nuclear program,” Mali said in response to another senator’s question about a military option to block Iran’s nuclear program.

The misinformation of a Republican senator and the reaction of Robert Mali

During the meeting, Republican Sen. Yang tried to spread misinformation about Iran over the Iran nuclear deal and Tehran’s non-compliance with the agreement before Trump left, to which Robert Mali replied that the assessments of intelligence officials in the Trump administration also showed That Iran has complied with its obligations. The International Atomic Energy Agency has provided similar assessments.

We need reciprocity for any extra-nuclear concessions

Senator Rand Paul asked Mali if the main issue was the IRGC’s disagreement with the list of so-called foreign terrorist organizations, to which Mali replied: “We have explicitly told Iran that if they seek any concessions outside the nuclear issue.” They are like a terrorist list. We also need reciprocal action from Iran.

Robert Mali continued: “I think this problem (including the IRGC in the list of so-called foreign terrorist organizations) has been resolved in some ways, in the sense that we have explicitly told Iran that if they want any concessions on an issue Unrelated to Burjam, they are like a list of terrorist organizations, and we need to reciprocate them to address our concerns. I think that Iran has decided not to take these reciprocal measures. They now have to decide whether they want to reach an agreement without additional requests.

Pointing to the limited capacity of sanctions against Iran, Rand Paul added that sanctions could punish a country but could not change its behavior. Sanctions do not bring Iran to the negotiating table.

Another senator noted that Iran also considers the United States dangerous, citing Washington’s anti-Iranian actions, such as the August 19 coup and its support for Iraq in the imposed war.

US Senator’s advice to Biden’s government: Keep talking and get the best deal

Democrat Sen. Tim Kane said in support of the Vienna talks: “Keep talking and get the best deal.” Some members of this committee tell you to stop talking. Do not accept this recommendation. Get the best deal, bring it to Congress, and let Congress take responsibility.
He continued: “The agreement you reached in 2015 was significantly better than before. I traveled to Israel, and Mossad director Tamir Pardo had a similar view. Only two years after the agreement, the United States destroyed it. While the International Atomic Energy Agency had confirmed Iran’s commitment.
The US senator urged Biden government officials not to heed advice on abandoning diplomacy or relying on Israel and taking military action to resolve the issue.
He stressed that you should not accept these recommendations. Ask the US government to enter into this agreement. Submit the agreement to Congress under this law, and let Congress decide whether the United States wants to support diplomacy.

The eighth round of talks on lifting the sanctions, which began on December 26 last year, had entered a breathtaking phase on March 11, 2014, at the suggestion of the EU foreign policy chief, and the negotiators had returned to their capitals for political consultations.

The Biden government, which has claimed a diplomatic approach to Iran and an attempt to return to the UN Security Council, has so far taken no steps to show its goodwill.

The United States claims that if Iran wants to lift sanctions beyond the 2015 nuclear deal, it must address US concerns beyond the IAEA.

Most of the countries participating in the talks want the talks to conclude faster, but reaching a final agreement awaits US political decisions on a few remaining key issues.

Iran says a good and credible agreement is available if the United States makes a political decision and adheres to its commitments.