The Establishment of Biden Administration’s Iranian Nuclear Policy: Motivation, Content and Prospects

Abstract

The Iran policy is an important part of the US Middle East policy, and the key to the US handling of its relations with Iran. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the US and Iran continued to dispute over the Iranian nuclear issue. In the last 20 years of the twentieth century, the US invested a lot in the Middle East in response to possible security threats from the Iranian nuclear issue. Since the unfolding of the twenty-first century, with the intensified changes in the power balance among the major powers, the Obama administration has proposed to ‘pivot to Asia-Pacific’ by adopting a series of policies to ease and engage with Iran, and finally promoted the conclusion of the Iranian nuclear agreement. However, the subsequent restoration of Iran’s regional influence and the dissatisfaction of Saudi Arabia and other allies have also brought into questions to the Obama administration’s Iranian nuclear policy. In order to contain Iran’s expanding regional power and reshape the image of the US leadership among its allies, the Trump administration had adopted a compulsory policy towards Iran that focuses on economic sanctions and military threats. However, the Trump administration continued the Obama administration’s strategy of contraction in the Middle East, the US investment in the Middle East was relatively reduced, and its Iranian nuclear policy had limited results. Anyway, under the premise of ‘pivot to Asia-Pacific region and contraction in the Middle East’, the previous two US governments’ either ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ Iranian nuclear policies have their limitations. After the Biden administration came to power, it still values the importance of US-Iranian relations and the Iranian nuclear issue in US policy in the Middle East. At the same time, it faces a regional situation different from the previous two administrations. The Biden administration hopes to maintain the relative balance of powers in the Middle East through the Iranian nuclear policy of both soft and hard, while relying on Saudi Arabia, Israel and other allies to contain Iran. Avoid or reduce the possibility of US direct military confrontation with Iran, thus creating possible conditions for it to fully implement Asia-Pacific deployment and contain the rise of emerging Asian powers.