News / Foreign Policy

Former Obama aide Malley expected to be named Biden's envoy on Iran: Sources

Friday, 29 January 2021 3:13 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 29 January 2021 3:17 AM ]

Robert Malley (File photo)

US President Joe Biden is expected to name Robert Malley, who served as a top Iran adviser in the administration of former President Barack Obama, as his special envoy on Iran, according to two sources.

Malley’s appointment could be announced as soon as Friday, one of the sources told Reuters on Thursday.

While some Republican lawmakers and pro-Israel groups expressed concern that he would be soft on Iran and tough on Israel, several foreign policy veterans supported his appointment.

Observers believe concerns about his appointment are part of a broader effort against diplomacy with Iran and reversing former Republican President Donald Trump's aggressive approach towards Iran.

Swift lifting of Trump-era Iran sanctions would indicate Biden’s commitment to restoring US credibility: UN envoy

Iran says the Biden administration must swiftly lift sanctions as a first step in restoring America

Malley was a key member of Obama’s team that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – an agreement which Trump abandoned in 2018.

The deal was initially signed between Iran and six major world states — the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — in 2015 and was ratified in the form of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 shortly afterwards.

Trump withdrew the US from the accord and reinstated the anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted by the deal.

His administration also launched what it called a maximum pressure campaign against Iran, targeting the Iranian nation with the “toughest ever” restrictive measures.

If confirmed, Malley will be put at the forefront of Biden’s efforts to find a way to deal with Iran after years of deteriorating relations under Trump.

He held numerous senior positions in the Democratic administrations of Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

He informally advised Biden’s team during his presidential campaign and served as the president of the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization that deals with global conflict.

Additionally, Malley was an informal adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 but resigned after it was revealed that he had met with representatives of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, while working for the organization.

Malley was later brought into the Obama administration and held a position with a focus on Middle East and Persian Gulf policymaking.

Biden won’t have everlasting chance to lift sanctions, return to nuclear deal: Iran

Iran warns that the administration of new US President Biden will not have an indefinite time period to rejoin the JCPOA.

Biden has said that he may return the US to the deal, but Iranian officials have stressed that Tehran should see genuine actions not mere words from Washington.

They underscore that the US needs to first lift all its sanctions to prove its goodwill and then ask Iran to resume its obligations.

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