WASHINGTON
\nSecretary of State Antony Blinken sought to defend on Tuesday ongoing negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal as talks face an apparent impasse.
\nTestifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the top diplomat emphasized that former US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure campaign\u201d and decision to unilaterally leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018 \u201cwhatever the intent, did not produce results.\u201d It further worsened the nuclear dilemma with Iran, he maintained.
\n\u201cWe continue to believe that getting back into compliance with the agreement would be the best way to address the nuclear challenge posed by Iran, and to make sure that an Iran that is already acting with incredible aggression doesn\u2019t have a nuclear weapon or the ability to produce one on short notice,\u201d Blinken said.
\nCommittee Chairman Bob Menendez and Jim Risch, the panel\u2019s top Republican, maintained, however, that the JCPOA does not address other Iranian actions the US considers to be \u201cdestabilizing\u201d in the region, including its support for militant proxy groups and ongoing development of a ballistic missile program.
\nIt further does not take into account advances Iran made following Trump\u2019s decision to impose biting economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
\nIn retaliation for the former president\u2019s decision, Tehran stepped back from its commitments under the 2015 agreement, including its agreed upon curbs to the amount of fissile material Tehran is allowed to possess, and its nuclear enrichment limits.
\nIran and the US have been engaged in talks for over a year aimed at securing a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA, but the negotiations have stalled in recent weeks despite progress towards a deal.
\nBlinken said Iran\u2019s other \u201cmalicious\u201d activities in the region would be made \u201ceven worse if they had a nuclear weapon, or the ability to get one on short notice.\u201d
\n\u201cIt would encourage them to act with greater impunity,\u201d he said.
\nStill, Risch was unswayed, saying \u201cno agreement is better than a bad agreement.\u201d
\n\u201cI would urge you to move on. They\u2019ve given us every indication that would be appropriate for us to do, and I would encourage you to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to defend on Tuesday ongoing negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal as talks face an apparent impasse. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the top diplomat emphasized that former US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure campaign\u201d and decision to unilaterally leave the Joint Comprehensive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1785,6548,6547,1687],"class_list":{"0":"post-257808","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-antony-blinken","9":"tag-congressional-criticism","10":"tag-defends","11":"tag-iran-nuclear-talks"},"yoast_head":"\n