Epitaph on the JCPOA
With US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley on unpaid leave pending a security clearance investigation, a chapter has closed in the Biden administration’s approach to Iran.
US President Joe Biden appointed Malley on Jan. 28, 2021, to right the wrong of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, in 2018.
Instead of simply reentering the JCPOA, which was an option, Biden tasked Malley to seek a "longer and stronger" deal, deemed necessary given Iran’s advances in enrichment since 2018, and some rapidly approaching sunset clauses in the original agreement (more on this below).
