Iranian American Group Asks Blinken To Change Iran Policy, Personnel

An Iranian American community organization has called on the Biden Administration to reassess US Iran policy and State Department team in charge of that policy.

The National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI) sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken October 11, asking the Administration “to reassess its prevailing policy toward Iran and the team of diplomats tasked to implement it.”

NUFDI argues in the letter that current protests show Iranians are determined to change the clerical regime and US policy is outdated and does not address the current reality.

The letter specifically asks Blinken to consider replacing US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley and his deputy Jarret Blanc who “have focused their efforts almost exclusively on securing a new nuclear accord” with Iran. It added that they “have not only failed to achieve this objective; they have also largely ignored every other US foreign policy” consideration.

President Joe Biden’s appointment of Malley who was one of the Obama era officials responsible for negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, has always been controversial among those who consider the accord as deficient and incompatible with US national interests.

The letter asks Blinken to “reformulate” Iran policy basing it on human rights and democracy, “limit allocation of resources” for achieving a nuclear deal, appoint a US Special Representative to the Iranian people, implement new sanctions and “devise…measures to provide material support to the Iranian people.”