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Biden Should Not Be Stampeded into Returning to the Nuclear Deal
(New York Times) Bret Stephens - The Iranian regime has made it clear that it intends to ramp up its production of enriched uranium while threatening to expel international inspectors by early February if the U.S. doesn't immediately lift sanctions. The regime has also ruled out any extensions to the nuclear deal. "It will never be renegotiated," says Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Yet the Biden administration should bide its time. Tehran is desperate to have sanctions lifted. Its negotiating position is weak and its options for escalation are limited. The regime wagers that it can provoke a nuclear crisis and then stampede the new administration into giving up its immense economic leverage even before meaningful negotiations begin. There is growing evidence that Iran has long been in breach of its past commitments by hiding hundreds of tons of nuclear equipment and material that should have been disclosed under the terms of the nuclear deal. The Biden administration and its European partners have a right and responsibility to insist that Tehran provide a full accounting of that material as the entry price of negotiations.