US to help bin Nayef, bin Abdulaziz to oust MBS

It has been almost two months since the inauguration of the US government, but US President Joe Biden has not yet fulfilled one of his most important election promises - to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal and lift sanctions on Iran. But on the other hand, he set a series of preconditions despite the fact the previous US administration has left the deal, not Iran. Biden said that the United States will not lift sanctions against Iran as a means to resuming negotiations, and Tehran needs to stop its uranium enrichment activities first.

Meanwhile, Biden selected some officials with experience in Iran issues to implement his strategy for Iran, and the last person he chose was Richard Nephew, who is named as the “architect of the oppressive sanctions”.

From May 2011 to January 2013, Nephew served as the director for Iran at the National Security Council, where he oversaw the expansion of US sanctions on Iran before the nuclear deal in 2015. Some believe that his appointment as deputy to Robert Malley, who was criticised for being too soft on Iran, attempts to strike a balance on the State Department team. 

Nephew's experiences about Iran has led to differing views about his presence on Biden's team and the impact he could have on advancing the White House's policies toward Iran. The views are that Nephew has both the ability to increase and decrease sanctions; Because he himself was involved in designing the sanctions against Iran. 

US President Joe Biden holds a meeting in the White House, February 3, 2021