IntroductionFormer US President and Republican Presidential candidate, for the 2024 US presidential election Donald Trump has been scathing in his criticism of US Pr

Former US President and Republican Presidential candidate, for the 2024 US presidential election Donald Trump has been scathing in his criticism of US President Joe Biden’s foreign policy – especially vis-à-vis Iran. Trump has criticised the decision of Biden administration to ease sanctions against Iran and to release funds to the tune of 

 for humanitarian purposes -- in lieu of a prisoner swap -- for the current turmoil in the Middle East. The former US President said that Iran was able to use these funds for supporting it's 

. The Biden administration has stated that it did not 

 these funds and responded to Trump’s criticism by stating that the former US President’s Iran policy has only pushed Tehran away from Washington DC.

Several Republican policy makers have also echoed Trump and stated that Iran has been able to circumvent 

 and was able to sell significant amounts of oil which were being used to support Iranian proxies.

The Biden Administration did initially try to revive the Iran Nuclear deal 2015/Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It has been argued however that Biden buckled under domestic pressure, including his own party, and did not use his political capital enough to negotiate a workable deal with former President Hassan Rouhani. Several factors proved to be major stumbling blocks regarding the revival of the Iran nuclear deal. Apart from Iran’s expansion of nuclear uranium, Tehran’s military support to Russia during the Russia-Ukraine war and the current turmoil in the Middle East including Iran-Israel tensions have reduced the possibility of revival of the JCPOA. It would be pertinent to point out, that the Biden administration has been maintaining a back channel with Iran while also imposing several sanctions on Tehran in recent years.

In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, the US took a pragmatic stance vis-à-vis Iran’s sale of oil, in violation of sanctions, to several countries. Iran has been selling large amounts of oil to China. Iranian oil enters China after being re-branded in 

 and several middle eastern countries including – 

, Iran’s exports of crude oil grew significantly, with an overwhelming majority of oil being sold to China (Beijing has been purchasing this oil at significant discounts). The first three months of 2024 witnessed a significant rise in Iran’s exports of oil to Beijing. Iran has also sought to strengthen economic ties with Russia and signed an important agreement in 

 where both sides decided that they would trade in local currencies.

Biden Administration has not gone the full distance on sanctions to avoid a global spike in oil prices. Many have also argued that US sanctions against Iran have been targeted because Washington did not want to offend Beijing. On April 24, 2024, President Biden had signed into law the 

National Security Supplemental fiscal package

, which includes sanctions and export controls pertaining to Iran. While commenting on sanctions imposed by his administration on Iran, Biden in April 2024 

“During my Administration, the United States has sanctioned over 600 individuals and entities — including Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Kataib Hezbollah. And we will keep at it. I've directed my team, including the Department of the Treasury, to continue to impose sanctions that further degrade Iran's military industries."

While Washington and Beijing may have strained relations, there is a realisation in the US that China has good relations vis-à-vis Tehran and that this is important given the current situation in the Middle East. Of late, there are indicators that the 

 is likely to take note of Iranian oil entering China via other countries.  

In conclusion, while the Biden administration has imposed certain sanctions on Iran and has begun to take note of Iran’s economic links with other countries, which are in violation of sanctions, it needs to take into account several factors.

US-Iran ties and Biden Administration's approach towards sanctions on Iran

0 Comments