Speaking at an event organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Monday, US Iran envoy Rob Malley said the administration “makes no apologies” for “trying to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” weapon”.
FILE: U.S. special envoy to Iran Robert Malley appears in Vienna, Austria, June 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File) Maley’s comments were the closest a Biden administration official has come to admitting he is abandoning efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Over the summer, Iranian officials rejected an EU proposal and made more demands in late August and early September. Since then, anti-government protests have erupted in Iran in response to the police killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Morality police arrested Amini in September for not properly covering her hair with the Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab, which is compulsory for Iranian women. A protester shows a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration in support of Iranian protesters who are resisting their leadership over the death of a young woman in police custody, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) At least 270 people were killed and 14,000 arrested, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The protests have continued even though the terrorist Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop. The government announced sanctions against Iranian officials for their brutal treatment of protesters. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions over its supply of drones and technical assistance to Russia and ordered US military strikes in August against Iranian-backed militias in Syria in response to attacks on US forces in the region. HOW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CAN HELP THE IRANIAN PROTESTERS AND PRESS THE REGIME: NON-PROFIT “I think people need to understand that we’re not tying our hands because of … this hope that someday there might be a deal,” Malley said. “No, we are taking action. We are not waiting. We are taking the action that we believe is consistent and necessary to advance our values ​​and our national security interests.” FILE: Iran’s flag is seen in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters building before a press conference by Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director-General, on the agency’s monitoring of Iran’s nuclear energy program on 24 May , 2021, in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Michael Gruber/Getty Images) The Iran nuclear deal has already collapsed despite President Biden’s efforts to revive it since August, with his administration saying Tehran tried to push foreign issues into the indirect talks. However, the administration has not lost all hope of a turnaround. The pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, would provide Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to bring its nuclear program back within limits set by the 2015 deal. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The deal was brokered by the Obama administration before being abandoned by the Trump administration in 2018. It includes caps on enrichment and how much material Iran can store, and limits the operation of advanced centrifuges needed for enrichment. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Bradford Betz is a reporter for Fox News Digital who covers crime, politics and more.