EU-US Divide On How To Manage The Islamic Republic Of Iran 

–German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told Biden: “Only together we can achieve our goals, including preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

-Analysts believe if the Islamic Republic of Iran was willing to seize the opportunities offered by the Nuclear Deal to reintegrate the global economy and political system, Tehran could have broken out of isolation and become a normal regime. 

-A group of former Iranian hostages and human-rights activists have signed a letter to President Biden’s Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken urging him not to appoint Robert Malley as Chief Iran envoy, warning him that this appointment would send an unclear message to the dictatorial regime. 

Just one day after the Iranian Oil Minister, Bijan Zanganeh stated during the Oil Fair that “Iran’s oil exports have increased dramatically in recent times,” an Iranian tanker was detained on charges of illegally transporting oil in Indonesian waters.

Zanganeh continued: “I can not give any statistics now, because the war is not over,”, not mentioning any numbers indeed regarding increases in exports.

One would wonder if the seizure of the tanker is a message to Tehran or confirmation of  Zanganeh’s statement that “the war is not over.” But Hassan Rouhani’s deputy claimed that “spring days” are coming all the while noting that ” sanctions have caused a reduction of more than $100 billion in foreign exchange revenue”.

Ayatollahs in Tehran erupted in cheers and applause after Donald Trump left the White House, and hoped for a “revival of JCPOA”, reduction of the level of pressure and lifting of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Although the Islamic regime’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, claimed that Tehran has defeated Trump and the sanctions, in an interview with Iran’s newspaper “Ettela’at”, he expressed concerns about the internal conflicts in the regime calling on the officials to end the disputes and advised them that “Opportunities are like passing clouds.”.

What Zarif calls “opportunity” is that Biden took office. He is counting on the possible influence and role that people like John Kerry, Wendy Sherman and the appointment of Robert Malley —all of whom played a major role in the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal— would have on Biden’s administration’s foreign policies. 

Analysts believe if the Islamic Republic of Iran was willing to seize the opportunities offered by the Nuclear Deal to reintegrate the global economy and political system, Tehran could have broken out of isolation and become a normal regime. 

So far, Biden’s appointees are chosen in such a way that Senator Tom Cotton said:  “Ayatollahs are believing in their luck.” At the same time, there are a number of facts that cannot be underestimated, including Israel’s pressure on Biden’s administration to consider Iran’s missile program, regional threats, and the risk of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

On the other hand, even Europeans are now concerned by the high-level of threats from Ayatollahs in Iran.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass told Biden: “Only together we can achieve our goals, including preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

Wir sind sehr froh, dass @JoeBiden die USA auf die internationale Bühne zurückführen will als verlässlicher Partner für Frieden. Dafür werden die USA gebraucht. Wir erreichen unsere Ziele, z.B. zu verhindern, dass Iran Atomwaffen bekommt, nur gemeinsam. pic.twitter.com/cAM8BOPj7s

— Heiko Maas ?? (@HeikoMaas) January 25, 2021

“We do not trust Iran,” he had previously told SPIEGEL. “It is not enough to return to the previous agreement,” referring to the 2015 JCPOA, “there should be a broader agreement which also takes into account our interests. Iran should not have nuclear weapons, should suspend its ballistic missile program and end its regional threats.”. 

Although the Europeans would rather work with the Biden administration than Trump’s to restrain the Iranian regime, the problem is that, in a significant contradiction, the E.U., like the Trump administration, is focused on a “JCPOA Plus”, yet the Biden administration is more focused on reviving the so-called JCPOA!

“JCPOA Plus” means adding more restrictions to the 2015 nuclear deal in order to manage missile programs, regional threats and foreign interventions of the Islamic Republic. Analysts believe that the Biden administration is also seeking to curb the regime’s ambitions in all areas, but there is disagreement over how to implement those restrictions. 

Now, the three E.U. states continue to advocate for a “JCPOA Plus Agreement,” says Russia’s Representative ?? to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov in his tweet. He added that the new U.S. administration’s position in this regard, as it is articulated by senior officials, seems to be more realistic: first restore full implementation of the nuclear deal with #Iran and then address other issues.

E-3 continue to advocate for a “#JCPOA plus agreement”. The position of the new US administration in this regard, as it is articulated by senior officials, seems to be more realistic: first restore full implementation of the nuclear deal with #Iran and then address other issues.

— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) January 22, 2021

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron spoke over the phone and agreed to coordinate their efforts on Middle East peace, the Elysee Palace stated on Sunday. During their first conversation after Biden’s inauguration, the two leaders discussed “their willingness to act together for peace in the Near and Middle East, in particular on the Iranian nuclear issue,”. 

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Mossad director, Yossi Cohen will travel to Washington next month to meet with Biden and the CIA director. Israel wants to make sure that any future agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran includes suspension of uranium enrichment, deferral of the production of advanced centrifuges and a ban on Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Biden’s seeking to appease Iran 

Biden is ignoring all the signs that Iran can’t be bribed out of its murderous ways, N.Y. Post  Editorial Board says: ‘’President Biden is eager to reengage with Iran and return to the nuclear deal. Yet, the murderous regime has no interest in changing its ways. It is boosting its nuclear-weapon development and its network of deadly militias across the Middle East in its continued drive for hegemony. ‘’

The article says that testing ballistic missiles, suicide drones and continuing rocket launches should be a wake-up call for Biden, but he still seems to be seeking appeasement.

Biden said during his presidential campaign he would rejoin the nuclear deal “as a starting point for follow-on negotiations” if “Iran returns to strict compliance,” working “to strengthen and extend the nuclear deal’s provisions, while also addressing other issues of concern,” such as Iran’s ballistic-missile program, human-rights abuses and “destabilizing activity.”

A group of former Iranian hostages and human-rights activists have signed a letter to President Biden’s Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken urging him not to appoint Robert Malley as Chief Iran envoy, warning him that this appointment would send an unclear message to the dictatorial regime.  

Since Biden took office, several military drills have been exercised in Iran, including successfully test-firing ballistic missiles and suicide drones in the Oman Sea waters. “Recent military exercises have repelled enemy threats,” said IRGC commander Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces, on Monday. Fada Hussein Maliki, Member National Security Commission And the foreign policy of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also said that “the regional states have no choice but to accept that Iran is the power in the region!”

The deployment of the “Iron Dome” in the Persian Gulf by the U.S. to defend Israel against Iran’s missile threats, and the sale of PATRIOT missiles to Morocco are among the signs of strengthening a regional coalition to counter the Islamic Republic.

Now, it is up to the Western countries to clarify their position towards Iran’s malicious, ambitious and destructive activities in the region, as well as its overt and covert efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Analysts believe that the Obama era will not be repeated for the Islamic Republic, and the Biden administration could not provide a favorable situation for Tehran since the most significant opponents of the Islamic Republic and its policies, besides the Arab regional states and Israel, are the people of Iran.

The report has originally been written in Persian in Kayhan London Newspaper, translated and edited into English by ICBPS.