The Biden administration is expected to name Robert Malley, a former senior adviser in the Obama administration, as a special ambassador for Iran, according to multiple sources.
Malley was a key member of Barack Obama’s team that negotiated the nuclear deal with Iran and world powers, an agreement abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018 against strong opposition from Washington’s European alliances.
“Secretary (State) Blinken is building a dedicated team, drawing on bright-eyed experts with a variety of views. Rob Malley will lead this team as our special ambassador for Iran, reporting on the success of negotiating restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, ”said a State Department official.
“The secretary is confident that he and his team can do so again,” the official said, referring to the state of the anonymous name.
Malley ‘s appointment was compounded by one of the new administration’ s most intimidating and political foreign policy challenges.
When Malley’s name first appeared in press reports as a prime candidate for the post, he drew criticism from some Republican lawmakers and anti-Israel groups who expressed concern that he would be soft on Iran and sorry for Israel . But a number of veterans ran a foreign policy toward him, praising him as a respected, fair diplomat.
Malley’s role as the man would make a point in Biden’s efforts to deal with Iran after years of worsening relations under Trump, who withdrew from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and lifted sanctions. hard economic.
He held several senior positions in the Obama and Bill Clinton Democratic administrations with a focus on Middle East and Gulf policy-making, and informally advised Biden’s team during the 2020 campaign.
Most recently, he was president of the International Emergency Group, a nonprofit organization with a focus on global conflict.
Malley ‘s expected role comes as Biden and his foreign policy help shift their approach to Iran. Malley is expected to report directly to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, one Reuters source said.
Chief diplomat Biden on Wednesday adhered to the new administration ‘s position that Tehran must resume compliance with Iran’ s nuclear deal before Washington can do so.
Making his first public comments on Iran as secretary of state, Blinken reiterated Biden’s policy that “if Iran returns to full compliance with its obligations under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] , the United States would do the same. “
But Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on Thursday that the United States should make the first move by returning to the nuclear deal.
The nuclear deal was hit by Iran and six major powers and forced Iran to suspend its nuclear program as a reward for sanctions from the U.S. and others. The Israeli and Gulf Arab states were strongly opposed to the treaty as they were not tough enough on Tehran.
Malley, the son of an Egyptian journalist and Iranian expert, was an informal adviser to the Obama campaign in 2008 but resigned after it emerged he met with representatives from the Palestinian military group Hamas while he worked for the International Emergency Agency
Malley was introduced to the Obama administration, of which Biden was vice president, as a top adviser to the Middle East.