Joe Biden was keen to revive the Iran nuclear agreement long before the war in Ukraine began, but the rise in oil prices it has caused may have tipped the president’s eagerness into desperation.
Reports from Washington suggest the administration is about to cave to Tehran’s most outrageous condition for returning to the deal: the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs.
The designation makes the IRGC subject to sanctions that Tehran says must be lifted before it agrees to abide by the terms of the 2015 agreement, which was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It is currently enriching uranium to levels far in excess of any peaceful purpose. The IRGC oversees the nuclear program, as well as Iran’s foreign policy and security apparatus.