An Iranian boy in an IRGC uniform waves a flag in front of two ballistic missiles during a rally in Tehran on February 10, 2022. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Next week US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley will brief members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, in a classified session. Experts from Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East proposed seven questions that they would like to see him answer. Below are some highlights.

Key Insights

1. Iran Has Been Able to Sell Oil Despite Sanctions

On August 12, you told PBS that, due to US sanctions, Iran cannot sell oil on the international market. Yet Reuters reported last March that “China’s purchases of Iranian oil have risen to record levels in recent months, exceeding a 2017 peak when the trade was not subject to US sanctions.” The same article reported that the Biden administration “has so far chosen not to enforce the sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies amid the negotiations on reviving the 2015 deal.” Who’s telling the truth, Reuters or you?

2. Iran Nuclear Deal Poses Problems for US-Israel Relations

If the United States rejoins the Iran nuclear deal, will the Biden administration expect Israel to stop conducting military and intelligence operations designed to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program? If Israel does continue such operations, will the White House see them as attacks on American interests as codified in the deal? Will you recommend to the president that he immediately provide Israel with the capabilities needed to prevent Iran from going nuclear in case the deal fails?

3. Other Middle Eastern Countries Will Want the Same Benefits that the Deal Gives Iran

Should the United States promise Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries that it will support their efforts to gain the same access to Russian and Western nuclear technology, the same fuel cycle capabilities, and the same security guarantees for their own nuclear programs that Iran will enjoy under the Iran nuclear deal?

Quotes may be edited for clarity and length. 

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