The Iran nuclear issue in the post-Covid world

• Published date: 29 March 2021
• Author: Salem AlKetbi
• Date: 29 March 2021
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

Indeed, the discord arising in recent years between US and European positions on how to deal with the nuclear issue has been a catalyst for Iranian defiance of the US position to date.

Who will return to the nuclear deal first: the mullahs of Iran or the Americans?

Let us not forget that since the US pulled out of the nuclear deal in mid-2018, the mullahs have been peddling claims that the US has isolated itself internationally because of how it has handled the Iran nuclear issue. These claims seem tendentious to many.

US policies under former President Trump generally veered from the international consensus on many issues, not just the Iranian.

As the US resumes its previous policies under the current Democratic administration and seeks to forge international alignment, obstacles stand in the way of a resolution to the Iranian crisis. What is happening now is that the entire Iranian crisis has been reduced to a million-dollar question.

Who will return to the nuclear deal first: the mullahs of Iran or the Americans? It is no longer a question of diplomacy, the solutions it requires and the alternatives it imposes in such a zero-sum situation. Rather, it is a matter of complex political considerations and calculations on the part of each side in the crisis.

President Biden, who announced early on his intention to return to the nuclear deal, fears that the go-back decision would be a sweet deal for the mullahs. He knows that they will not give him the opportunity to easily secure the comprehensive agreement he has in mind.

The mullahs want to push the White House to return unconditionally to the agreement as a political and propaganda win that they are eagerly hoping for in order to save face and restore a scrap of the respect they have lost among their supporters due to the blows and setbacks they sustained since the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Truth is, the rules of the regional and international game are not the same as they used to be. The United States can no longer manage its relations with the mullahs alone and needs the support of the other major international powers.

The European Union is perhaps more concerned about the impact of the coronavirus upset on its economies. It shows little zest for getting more involved in this issue. Russia is trying to leverage international strategic influence gained in Syria and has played a central role in resolving the Iranian crisis by calling for a regional security conference.

For Russia, the way...