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18 Feb 2021
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Biden eases pressure on Iran as US announces readiness for nuclear talks

February 18, 2021

The United States announced several moves Thursday that appeared to be a sign of easing pressure on Iran, including its willingness to meet with officials from Tehran to discuss the now-defunct nuclear treaty signed in 2015.Several decisions to backtrack from Trump-era decisions against Iran were announced hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in a virtual meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the United Kingdom.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Washington then announced that it was ready to restart negotiations with Iran over a nuclear deal. “The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.This came shortly after Enrique Mora, the EU’s Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs, tweeted hours earlier that he was ready to make the move. “The #JCPOA at a critical moment. Intense talks with all participants and the US. I am ready to invite them to an informal meeting to discuss the way forward,” Mora said on his Twitter account.As for the talks, a senior State Department official told reporters on a phone briefing that the first meeting would not be an official one and the UN would organize it.US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley will head the US delegation, which won’t see the participation of foreign ministers. “It remains unclear if Iran will agree to this meeting,” the official said.Separately, the official confirmed an earlier report by Al Arabiya English that the US informed the United Nations Security Council that it was no longer recognizing a previous US claim that all UN sanctions were reimposed on Iran as part of the “snapback mechanism” from the 2015 Iran deal.After the Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran began to breach the agreement and made progress on nuclear enrichment.Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then announced the return of all UN sanctions against Iran under the snapback provision of the original deal, claiming that the US had not officially withdrawn.Despite its unilateral move, Washington was met with stiff opposition from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, who said the move was “incapable of having any legal effect.”But the US will not make any concessions to Iran, the official said, adding that the purpose would be to revive diplomacy between the two.The State Department official also told reporters that the US informed Iran’s UN mission that its diplomat would have their travel restrictions eased. Under Trump, officials were allowed to travel to UN buildings only.Iran’s diplomats will still need special permission to go beyond a 25-mile radius as is the case, the official added.Read more:US, UK, France, Germany 'unite' against Iran developing a nuclear weaponIran says it has told IAEA of plan to end snap nuclear inspections
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Biden eases pressure on Iran as US announces readiness for nuclear talks

19 Feb 2021
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Biden to use G7, Munich event to rally democracies, allies in Europe on challenges

February 19, 2021

President Joe Biden will seek on Friday to rally global democracies and European allies to work together to address a range of concerns about China, but is not looking for a “new Cold War,” a senior administration official said.The Democratic president, sworn in less than a month ago, will use a “virtual visit” to Europe to try to re-establish the United States as a multilateral team player after four years of divisive “America First” policies pursued by Donald Trump.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appBiden will arrive bearing gifts -- a $4 billion pledge of support for global coronavirus vaccination efforts, the re-entry of the United States into the Paris climate accord and the prospect of a nearly $2 trillion spending measure that could bolster both the US and global economies.Biden will meet at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) with G7 leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan by video conference, but plans to join them for an in-person summit hosted by the UK this summer, the official told reporters.Later on Friday morning, he will address an online session of the Munich Security Conference, which often draws top global leaders and where several years ago as a private citizen he reassured participants rattled by the Trump presidency: “We will be back.”Biden will underscore that democracies, not autocracies, offer the best path forward for the world, after the January 6 siege of the US Capitol by pro-Trump rioters made clear that democracy was fragile.“He will make a strong, confident case that democracy is the best model for meeting the challenges of our time,” the official said. “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We need to fight for it.”Russia, China challengesBiden will drive home his view that major market economies and democracies must work together to tackle challenges posed by great-power competitors like Russia and China, as well as transnational challenges ranging from nuclear proliferation to climate change and cybersecurity, the official said.The US president will speak specifically about “malign” and concerted action he believes Russia has taken to destabilize and undermine democracy in the United States and Europe and elsewhere, and will call on allies to stand firm with Washington, the official said.The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any such action.With regard to China, the world’s second-largest economy, Biden will urge democracies to work together to push back against practices and policies of the Chinese government that he will describe as “economically abusive and ... counter to our values.”The Biden White House is reviewing China policy across an array of fronts, including its military buildup and trade policies, its actions in Hong Kong, treatment of minority Uighurs in Xinjiang and its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.“He will make clear in the speech that he’s not looking for confrontation, he’s not looking for a new Cold War, but he’s expecting stiff competition and he welcomes it,” the official said.On the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program, Biden will say the United States looks forward to re-engaging in diplomacy amid efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal that Trump abandoned, the official said.On the economic front, Biden will urge other G7 leaders to continue to invest heavily in their economies to foster and accelerate economic growth, the official said.“The fear is not that we do too much, it’s that we do too little,” the official said. “This is an era for action and investment and not for austerity and that will be an important part of the message.”Read more:European allies set to offer Biden vows of allegiance and moneChina will face ‘repercussions’ of human rights abuses, says BidenBiden withdraws Trump ‘snapback’ claim on UN sanctions against Iran
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Biden to use G7, Munich event to rally democracies, allies in Europe on challenges