Biden extends national emergency against Iran in yet another act of bad faith
US President Joe Biden has informed the Congress that he will extend a national emergency against Iran for another year, in yet another act of bad faith after the Iranian foreign minister urged Washington earlier this month to adopt a constructive approach to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and cautioned that the window of opportunity for an agreement on reviving the accord will not remain open forever.
The White House announced in a statement that the national emergency declared by former president Bill Clinton on March 15, 1995 should remain in effect beyond March 15, 2023.
The actions of the Iranian government, Iran’s development of missiles and asymmetrical and conventional weapons, its clout in the West Asia region, and the activities of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) continue to pose threats to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States, the statement read.
In an interview with CNN television new network aired on March 1, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran had informed the US through mediators that the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are “on the path to reach an accord,” but warned that this might change if the US side hangs back.
On Thursday, the UK, France, and Germany (E3) issued a joint statement announcing the liquidation of INSTEX, a European financial channel designed to safeguard Iran’s economic interests against US sanctions.
The announcement came on the same day the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on dozens of entities accused of helping Iran evade Washington’s bans on Iran’s access to the global financial system.
Biden has sharply been criticized by analysts for following the policies of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, in the Middle East.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said Thursday the US recourse to unilateral sanctions proves the legitimacy of Tehran’s position and Washington’s ill will and hypocrisy toward Iran and the JCPOA.
The United States began a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran under Trump who took the US out of the nuclear deal between Iran and world countries, and returned all the sanctions that the accord had lifted.
On his campaign trail, Biden claimed he was not unwilling to return Washington to the deal. The Biden administration has, however, not only stopped short of doing so but has also been bringing the Islamic Republic under multiple rounds of fresh economic measures.
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