Biden administration pushes European allies not to rebuke Iran over nuclear program: Report
By
Zachary Halaschak
May 27, 2024 12:48 pm
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Biden administration officials are reportedly trying to prevent European allies from rebuking Iran over its nuclear program at a coming meeting.
Britain and France are pushing to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s member-state meeting early next month, although the United States is trying to convince allies to abstain from the vote, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing diplomats involved in the discussions.
The U.S. itself will also reportedly abstain from the censure vote. Nonetheless, officials have denied that the U.S. is lobbying against the censure.
This week, the IAEA reported that Iran’s stockpile of 60% highly enriched uranium has reached the highest level to date, and top officials believe that Tehran would have the ability to convert that uranium into weapons-grade fuel in just a matter of days, a worrying scenario for the U.S. and other Western powers.
The U.S. and its allies in Europe and the Middle East have long worked to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. During the Obama administration, a nuclear deal was signed with Iran, although that was scrapped by the Trump administration.
The Biden administration has been pushing for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. One U.S. official said that, as the IAEA meeting approaches in June, the U.S. is “tightly coordinated” with European allies and that speculation on the resolution is “premature.”
“We are increasing pressure on Iran through sanctions and international isolation,” the official said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
The report comes just days after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other top Iranian officials were killed in a helicopter crash. The death triggered a new presidential election, which is set for late June.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign-policy/3018452/biden-administration-pushes-european-allies-not-to-rebuke-iran-nuclear-program/
