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In order to reach a new deal with the Iranian regime concerning its nuclear program, the Biden administration has already made significant concessions to Tehran. And it appears that the proposed deal is much weaker than the 2015 agreement. This will have severe repercussions for peace and stability in the region.
The Biden administration’s policy toward the Iran regime can be characterized as a reversal of the Trump administration’s policy. Its appeasement policies toward the clerical establishment include revoking the terrorist designations of the Iran-backed Yemeni militia group the Houthis last year.
The US State Department explained at the time: “This decision is a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen… (The designations) could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic commodities like food and fuel. The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant US policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
But this move only emboldened the Iranian regime and its proxy. Just two days later, the State Department had to call on the Houthis to “immediately cease attacks impacting civilian areas inside Saudi Arabia and to halt any new military offensives inside Yemen.” The Houthis had launched four armed drones into the Kingdom, which the Saudis “intercepted and destroyed.” And in a major escalation in January, the Houthis launched a military attack on the UAE by blowing up three oil tanker trucks in Abu Dhabi, killing three people.
The terror group, which, according to a Yemeni government intelligence report, “works closely” with Al-Qaeda and Daesh, appears to have committed crimes against humanity. It has, since 2015, reportedly killed or injured more than 17,500 civilians — and it recruits, injures and kills children.
It would help the regime destabilize the region, target and attack US allies and fund and sponsor its militia and terror groups.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
The White House has also suggested that not only is it willing to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, but that it is considering lifting non-nuclear-related sanctions if a new nuclear deal is agreed. In June last year, the Biden administration lifted sanctions on three former Iranian officials and several energy companies. Then, in a blow to the Iranian people and advocates of democracy and human rights — and just a few days after the Iranian regime had hand-picked a purported mass murderer, Ebrahim Raisi, to be its next president — the US announced it was also considering lifting sanctions against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Furthermore, the new nuclear deal appears to be much weaker than the Obama administration’s 2015 agreement. With this proposed deal, the Iranian regime will be much closer to obtaining nuclear weapons. Restrictions on the regime’s nuclear program will be lifted only two years after it is signed, permitting Tehran to enrich uranium to any level it desires and to spin as many centrifuges as it wants.
The new deal will not force the regime to reveal its past nuclear activities, which had military dimensions. It will also not address Iran’s ballistic program, meaning that Tehran will continue to attack other nations, provide missiles to its militia groups and increase the range of its intercontinental ballistic missiles. In addition, Russia, Iran’s ally, will be trusted with the responsibility of storing Iran’s enriched uranium — and Moscow will be paid for this task.
To meet the Iranian leaders’ demands, the new deal will most likely include the US removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its elite branch the Quds Force from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Last but not least, economic sanctions will also be lifted against the Iranian regime and this will facilitate the flow of billions of dollars to the ruling mullahs.
This will help the regime destabilize the region, target and attack US allies and fund and sponsor its militia and terror groups across the world. This month, more than 45 retired US generals wrote a letter to the Biden administration warning: “The new Iran deal currently being negotiated, which Russia has played a central role in crafting, will enable the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism to cast its own nuclear shadow over the Middle East. As retired American military leaders who devoted their lives to the defense of our nation, we oppose this emerging deal that is poised to instantly fuel explosive Iranian aggression and pave Iran’s path to become a nuclear power, threatening the American homeland and the very existence of America’s regional allies.”
In a nutshell, the Biden administration’s proposed new nuclear deal is much worse than the previous agreement, which was reached in 2015. If signed, Biden’s deal will secure a significant victory for the Iranian regime, the IRGC and its militia and terror groups across the region.
- Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh