National Security Council Principals Convening to Discuss Iran

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a welcome ceremony at the State Department in Washington,DC on January 27, 2021. (CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

By    |   Friday, 05 February 2021 07:54 AM EST ET

The White House will convene a meeting of the National Security Council principals Friday to focus on Iran's nuclear program as the Biden administration continues to work on how to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, according to sources said to be familiar with the matter. 

One of the main items the NSC will discuss is whether to push for a return to the deal, which former President Donald Trump left in 2018, before Iran's June presidential elections, or to wait until after, reports Axios.

Principals committee meetings are held in the White House Situation Room and include the secretaries of Defense and State along with other main national security officials to discuss policy at the highest level before recommendations are made to the president. 

Before such meetings are held, the deputies from all the national security agencies gather. Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer on Wednesday held a session that was focused on the Middle East.

The State and Defense departments declined to comment to Axios on the information, and an NSC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Tony Blinken will have a virtual meeting on Friday with foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, with discussions to include Iran. 

Blinken has also asked new Iran envoy Rob Malley to form a negotiating team of diplomats and experts, including people who are “more hawkish” on Iran, a source close to the administration said. 

National security adviser Jake Sullivan, during Thursday's White House press briefing, said the administration is "actively engaged" with the nation's European partners, with consultations to "produce a unified front when it comes to our strategy."

President Joe Biden did not mention the efforts on the nuclear deal during his comments to the State Department on Thursday.  

Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal and instituted a "maximum pressure" campaign to target the country's oil exports and central bank in a play to force Tehran to return to the negotiating table. 

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Politics
The White House will convene a meeting of the National Security Council principals Friday to focus on Iran's nuclear program as the Biden administration continues to work on how to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, according to sources...
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Friday, 05 February 2021 07:54 AM
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