Biden Admin Urges Allies Against Confronting Iran On Nuclear Program Ahead Of US Elections: REPORT

The Biden administration is asking its European allies not to confront Iran on its nuclear program ahead of the U.S. elections in November, several diplomats involved in negotiations told The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. and the West at large have become increasingly concerned about Iran’s rapidly growing nuclear program, its potential to weaponize such capabilities and its stubbornness toward international oversight. In a bid to avoid angering Tehran, the Biden administration is urging against efforts led by France and Britain to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) member-state board meeting in June, saying that the U.S. will abstain from the motion, the diplomats told the WSJ.

Some diplomats have expressed fears that if action isn’t taken, it could undermine the IAEA’s credibility and risk weakening the West’s leverage over Tehran, according to the WSJ. A number of them have become frustrated that the Biden administration has hamstrung their attempts to contain Iran’s nuclear program and failed to pursue a stronger policy in dealing with Tehran.

U.S. officials denied that the Biden administration was lobbying against a censure motion or that there was daylight between them and their European counterparts, according to the WSJ.

“We are increasing pressure on Iran through sanctions and international isolation,” a U.S. official told the WSJ, noting that the Biden administration is “tightly coordinated” with its European partners ahead of the IAEA board meeting in June. Another official said it is “totally false” that the Biden administration is attempting to avoid confrontation with Iran ahead of U.S. elections.

Iran has enriched enough uranium and fissile material to create three nuclear weapons, according to the latest data from the IAEA, the United Nations’ (UN) organization