US Ambassador to Germany: Biden Should Continue Pressure on Iran

The US ambassador in Berlin has called on Joe Biden, the US President-elect, to maintain maximum pressure against Iran while pursuing an atomic agreement that also covers the country’s regional behavior and missile program.

The US ambassador to Germany has called for continued pressure on Iran as Joe Biden, the US President-elect, prepares to take office.

Jeremy Issacharoff, in an interview with the French news agency, expressed hope that “maximum pressure” on Iran by signatories of the nuclear agreement with Iran (JCPOA) would be maintained.

Issacharoff said Iran is trying to portray itself as a “victim,” but those suffering from Iran’s aggressive policies are “Israel and many other regional countries.” He recommended the JCPOA parties take this into account in their negotiations with Iran.

Israel rejected the nuclear agreement when it was concluded in 2015 between Iran and countries with veto rights in the UN Security Council as well as Germany, and emphasized that Iran should not be allowed to acquire the capability to build an atomic bomb.

The United States, during Donald Trump’s presidency in 2018, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions against Iran. These sanctions subsequently expanded. Tehran, in turn, gradually reduced its commitments under the agreement, including increasing the volume and percentage of uranium enrichment.

Joe Biden, the incoming US President, stated in an interview that he is seeking to initiate negotiations on another agreement in which Iran’s nuclear limitations would be “tightened and extended.” According to him, these negotiations should also include Iran’s missile program.

This approach of his has also received support from Heiko Maas, Germany’s Foreign Minister.

Jeremy Issacharoff, US ambassador to Berlin, welcomed this strategy and said a nuclear agreement that includes Iran’s missile program “would certainly be on the right path.”

He rejected a return to the agreement concluded in 2015 and emphasized: “We cannot simply turn back the clock to 2015.”

According to Issacharoff, since that time Iran has developed and tested new missiles and played a “destabilizing” role in many countries.

He stressed that future negotiations should include these issues as well as “numerous violations” of the JCPOA by Iran.

Source: DW