Joe Biden's expanding foreign policy team could revive Iran nuclear deal

Rob Malley, who played a key role in the 2015 deal, expected to be appointed Iran envoy

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by staff as he arrives at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.AP Photo

A top national security aide to former president Barack Obama will be tapped as US envoy for Iran, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.

If Iran comes back into full compliance with its obligations, the United States would do the same thing

The senior official and several others said Secretary of State Antony Blinken will name Rob Malley as the Biden administration's point person on Iran. The appointment will be formally announced Friday.

The official said Mr Malley would head a dedicated team of “clear-eyed experts with a diversity of views”. Mr Malley, the official said, has “a track record of success negotiating constraints on Iran’s nuclear programme” and that Mr Blinken is confident he “will be able to do that once again”.

Rumours of Mr Malley's potential new post unsettled the insular but highly polarised community of Iran experts in recent days.

Mr Malley runs the International Crisis Group. Those who advocate a tougher policy position on Iraq were reportedly shocked by the move, believing him to be a key architect of the 2015 nuclear deal from which former president Donald Trump withdrew.

They fear President Joe Biden wants to rejoin the Iran deal at any cost and may be willing to sacrifice the security of Israel and the Gulf Arab states to do so. The so-called foreign policy hawks regard Mr Malley as less than fully supportive of Israel.

Iran deal supporters praised Mr Malley for his expertise and sprung to his defence, praising him as a measured, long-time Middle East hand who has served several presidents and who has significant expertise in the region. Mr Malley was one of several senior national security council officials involved in the 2000 Camp David peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and the 2014-2015 Iran deal negotiations.

An overview of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, south of the capital Tehran. Maxar Technologies / AFP

An overview of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, south of the capital Tehran. Maxar Technologies / AFP

An overview of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, south of the capital Tehran. Maxar Technologies / AFP

An overview of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, south of the capital Tehran. Maxar Technologies / AFP

Mr Blinken, to whom Mr Malley would directly report, has been coy about how he will pursue any engagement with Iran and has refused to discuss specific personnel he would want to lead such an effort. Others noted that several previously named Biden administration officials – Wendy Sherman, the nominee for deputy secretary of state, and Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden's national security adviser – played major roles in the Iran negotiations.

Like Mr Biden, Mr Blinken has said repeatedly that the US would resume its obligations under the Iran deal by easing sanctions if Iran returns to full compliance with the accord. Only at such a point would the administration return to the deal or embark on an effort to lengthen and strengthen it.

“If Iran comes back into full compliance with its obligations under the [deal], 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 call a longer and stronger agreement and to deal with a number of other issues that are deeply problematic in the relationship with Iran,” Mr Blinken said on Wednesday. “But we are a long ways from that point.”