Over the weekend, Iran gave the United States a list of demands before returning to the negotiating table. This comes as the newly-elected Biden Administration has been communicating with Iran on what it will take for the authoritarian regime to resume talks on renewing the nuclear deal.
The Trump Administration had been a staunch enemy of the deal. Former President Trump, when withdrawing the United States from the previous nuclear deal, stated that it "was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made."
President Biden, on the other hand, has been trying to renew negotiation talks on the nuclear deal, though he has already hit a roadblock from the Iranians.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated over the weekend that in order for negotiation talks to resume, President Biden must lift the crippling sanctions that the Trump administration had put on the Muslim nation.
“If (the U.S.) wants Iran to return to its commitments, it must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification … then we will return to our commitments,” he stated.
President Biden had a swift response to the Iranians: that he would not lift sanctions on the nation. He later implied that Iran must halt its uranium enrichment for the United States to come back to the table.
The previous deal prevented Iran from enriching uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions by the United States and the Western powers. In order for the deal to resume, one side would need to blink and make the first move, which both sides seem unwilling to do.
This presents a tough challenge for the Biden administration, who wants to appear strong on the world stage. Many Americans believe that Biden could be a pushover when dealing with other nations, making Biden's choices very limited when dealing with tough parties like the Iranians.
What do you think Biden should do with the Iranians? Let us know!