Blinken on Iran deal: “We’re not there yet"

In his first press conference as US secretary of state, Antony Blinken said, "If Iran comes back into full compliance with its obligations under the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], the United States would do the same thing and then we would use that as a platform to build, with our allies and partners, what we called a longer and stronger agreement and to deal with a number of other issues that are deeply problematic in the relationship with Iran."

Blinken’s remarks come in the context of some not unexpected back and forth over whether the United States or Iran goes first in a return to the deal. In the last 48 hours:

• An official in French President Emmanuel Macron’s office backed an Iran-first approach, telling Reuters that Iran must first "refrain from further provocations and secondly respect what they no longer respect; that’s to say, their obligations."

• Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded by tweet Jan. 26 that Iran will not go first. "It was the US that broke the deal—for no reason. It must remedy its wrong; then Iran will respond."