UPDATE, JAN. 31:

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has denounced the statements of Biden Administration officials calling on Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, before the US rejoins the accord.

Repeating the “You Go First” line from both side, Qalibaf said, “Instead of setting preconditions for carrying out its commitments, the administration of Mr. Biden must determine how it is going to fulfill the commitment to the removal of sanctions.”

He claimed, “It is like we have paid the seller for a commodity, but have not received anything. Who would make such a bargain?”.


ORIGINAL ENTRY, JAN. 30: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (pictured) steps up rhetoric over Iran, declaring an “escalating nuclear crisis”.

Sullivan spoke on Friday about the maneuvers over the 2015 nuclear deal, from which the Trump Administration withdrew in May 2018, amid Iran’s suspension of provisions of the accord with the remaining 5+1 Powers (UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia).

Sullivan did not restate the line that Iran must “return to compliance” before the Biden Administration lifts comprehensive sanctions, imposed in November 2018, and rejoins the agreement.

However, in the address to the US Institute of Peace, he said that Tehran’s nuclear program must put “in a box” as Iran is closer to building a bomb now than in May 2018. He also tied talks to regional issues as well as the nuclear issue:

We are going to have to address Iran’s other bad behavior, malign behavior across the region, but from our perspective, a critical early priority has to be to deal with what is an escalating nuclear crisis as they move closer to having enough fissile material for a weapon.

And we would like to make sure that we reestablish some of the parameters and constraints around the program that have fallen away over the course of the past two years.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the Biden Administration can return “within an hour” to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The Biden Administration has said that Trump’s withdrawal was damaging to US national security and the region.

But each side has insisted that the other act first. Iran wants the removal of the sanctions, which have restricted oil exports by up to 95% since 2018, while the US says Tehran’s suspension of provisions must be reversed.

The Rouhani Government has installed advanced centrifuges at nuclear facilities, including the underground Fordow complex, and returned to the pre-2015 level of 20% enriched uranium, which can be further enhanced to a military grade of more than 90%.

UPDATED: US, Iran, and the Nuclear Deal — The “You Go First” Dilemma

Speaking in Turkey on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US demand for Iran’s immediate return to compliance “is not logical and will never happen”.

Zarif spoke at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The Iranian Foreign Minister has also visited Russia, Georgia, and Armenia this week to discuss regional issues as well as Tehran’s nuclear position.

Iran Tries Boast, Charm, and Twitter Jabs Over Nuclear Issue