Pursuit Of ‘Informal’ Nuclear Deal Will Only Enrich Iranian Regime, Endanger U.S. And Allies

(New York, N.Y.) — This week, the Biden administration was confirmed to have secretly resumed indirect talks with the Iranian regime just months after Tehran rejected an offer to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The new effort has already netted the Iranian regime billions of dollars in sanctions relief and is reportedly aimed at reaching an ‘informal’ agreement that sidesteps U.S. law requiring congressional approval.  

In the time the Biden administration spent indirectly negotiating its offer to restore the JCPOA, Tehran enriched at least some uranium to levels above 80 percent, produced uranium metal which can be used to manufacture the core of a nuclear bomb, repeatedly violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and shut down IAEA monitoring of its nuclear sites. There are no indications that Iran has either rolled back its nuclear program or halted its advancements while this new round of talks is proceeding.  

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace in a joint statement said: 

“The press reports about an “understanding” between the Islamic Republic and the United States over the nuclear file are concerning because they risk legitimizing its enrichment at 60 percent purity, even if the product is downblended, which has no credible civilian justification. This represents a collapse of the international negotiating position on Iran’s nuclear program which morphed from zero enrichment before 2013 to now tolerating 60 percent enrichment in 2023. The lack of any consequences to thwart Iran’s nuclear escalation is a vindication of Khamenei’s strategy and an indictment of our own.”  

The news reportedly caught leading Members of Congress by surprise, with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul suggesting that indirect talks, even if in pursuit of an ‘informal’ understanding, violates the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (INARA), which was enacted “to ensure Congressional oversight of U.S. policy involving Iran’s nuclear program.” The Biden administration, however, has never pursued Iran policy in a bipartisan manner nor sought to negotiate a politically durable agreement with Iran that could be submitted to the U.S. Senate for ratification as a treaty.  

As UANI has warned, the Iranian regime’s thin promises to self-impose temporary restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for up-front benefits is a winning formula for Tehran that fails to permanently and verifiably block its pathway to nuclear weapons, allowing for further investment in terrorist proxies as well as arms of the regime tasked with domestic oppression.  

To read UANI’s resource The Iran Nuclear Deal: What’s Wrong With It And What Can We Do Now?, please click here. 

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