- President Joe Biden has tapped Rob Malley, a conflict resolution expert, to be his Iran envoy.
- Malley, a former Obama administration official, will lead efforts to revitalize the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
- GOP critics of Malley say he’s too soft on Tehran, but veteran US officials and diplomats disagree.
President Joe Biden on Friday selected Rob Malley as envoy to Iran, the White House announced, despite criticism and pushback from congressional Republicans over the appointment.
Malley, who served as a top Middle East advisor under the Obama administration, will spearhead Biden’s efforts to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He played a key role in the negotiations behind the landmark pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which President Donald Trump withdrew the US from in May 2018.
Malley “brings to the position a track record of success negotiating constraints on Iran’s nuclear program,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, adding that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is “confident” Malley will “be able to do that once again.”
Republicans who applauded Trump for abandoning the 2015 deal have sought to portray Malley, a conflict resolution expert who’s currently the CEO of the International Crisis Group, as too sympathetic to Tehran and anti-Israel.
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, known for his hawkish stance toward Iran, recently tweeted that Malley “has a long track record of sympathy for the Iranian regime & animus towards Israel.”
Read the article by John Haltiwanger in Business Insider Australia.