Nuclear talks from the international community with Iran have recently resumed in the Austrian capital of Vienna with all present parties drawing their deals between each other. Iranian representatives opened the talks with the hard suggestion that everything negotiated in the previous Nuclear deal could be re-negotiated between nations. When speaking to Iranian national television, Ali Bagheri, Iran’s top negotiator at the talks, said to the public that everything discussed thus far had been a “draft” of the negotiations (Associated Press). The deal was originally left under former president Trump as a strict deal with Iran to limit their uranium enrichment greatly. However, this opening statement by the head Iranian negotiator suggests Tehran may be attempting to take advantage of the new US Presidency as well as his brand new staff and diplomatic teams present at the negotiations. 

Iranian flag outside of the IAEA waving in the wind (Sky News).

Talks were originally conducted in 2016 and ended in 2018 under the Trump administration with the original terms making it so Tehran would limit their uranium enrichment “greatly” in return for loosened sanctions on the country’s economy, which was suffering greatly due to them. After President Trump was defeated in the 2020 Presidential election, the Biden administration replaced him and many of the staff he put in during his four-year term as president. Negotiations under the current Biden administration were virtually non-existent, as the Biden administration was focusing on internal problems and the evacuation from Afghanistan, which can very easily be used against the Biden administration during the current talks. With the talks resuming, many international governments are hoping for a peaceful deal and a deal that benefits both sides, and hopefully, the Biden administration will see to loosened tariffs and better relations with Iran.

-Written by Shane Miller, 12/1/21