Iran nuclear deal being pushed by Biden weaker than original version under Obama, analysts say
Updated: August 24, 2022 - 11:37pm
Part 1 of 3
"This is diplomatic malpractice to the point of being criminal," said Gabriel Noronha, who served as a special adviser on Iran at the State Department.
It's become common to refer to President Joe Biden's efforts to "revive" the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, from which his predecessor withdrew the U.S. in 2018. Indeed, Biden administration officials have for months defended their efforts to seek a "mutual return to compliance" with the accord to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for providing large-scale sanctions relief.
Such terminology, however, is inaccurate and even misleading, according to experts and former U.S. officials who spoke to Just the News. They warned the current deal being negotiated is an entirely different arrangement than what was finalized under former President Barack Obama, containing more U.S. concessions and serving Iran's interests in dangerous and enduring ways.
"It's structurally and technically a very different deal," said Gabriel Noronha, who served as a special adviser on Iran at the State Department. "It's more advantageous to Iran."
Noronha, who's had access to Iranian government documents and earlier this year was leaked key details of the nuclear talks by U.S. and European officials, pointed first and foremost to the type and breadth of sanctions on Iran that would be lifted under a deal.
According to a Foundation for Defense of Democracies analysis, the new deal would give Iran access to $274 billion in its first year and at least $1 trillion by 2030.
Experts told Just the News that Iran would allocate these funds as it did the first time, using the infusion of cash to increase its military budget and provide a windfall to terrorist groups and its network of proxies.
But this time, much of the most extensive — and controversial — sanctions relief would be unrelated to Iran's nuclear program.
Most notably, the U.S. is expected to abrogate multiple Trump-era executive orders, which will lift sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities without congressional review, according to people familiar with the matter. Most notably, the Biden administration would likely end Executive Order 13876, which imposed sanctions on the Iranian supreme leader's office and a host of Iranian officials accused of terrorism and human rights abuses. These sanctions were unrelated to Iran's nuclear program.
Iran didn't give any concessions in return for Washington's agreement to nix the executive orders, according to Iran International, which obtained a leaked report on remarks by Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri-Kani, from a recent closed-door briefing provided to journalists in Tehran.
"It's alarming how the U.S. is preparing to lift non-nuclear sanctions related to human rights, terrorism, ballistic missiles," said Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran. "We're giving more and receiving less in return. As problematic as the 2015 deal was, this is even worse."
The Biden administration has pitched the nuclear deal to Congress and the American people as a narrow nuclear agreement that wouldn't inhibit America's ability to counter Iran's malign non-nuclear behavior.
However, throughout negotiations, Iran has made several demands unrelated to its nuclear program, including the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an Iranian military force, from the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.
https://justthenews.com/government/security/analysts-iran-nuclear-deal-being-pushed-biden-weaker-original-version-under