THREAT BUT DOING SO WITH ITS KEY
PARTNERS, ANDREA.
>> AND PICKING UP ON, THAT BEN
RHODES, YOU WERE PART OF THE
NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN THAT
STARTED IN SECRET AND THEN OF
COURSE THE MAJOR NEGOTIATIONS
WHICH LASTED FOR QUITE SOME
TIME.
YOU COVERED THAT, WHAT THEY CALL
THE P5+1, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND
THE FIVE PERMANENT MEMBERS OF
THE SECURITY COUNCIL.
HERE’S WHAT JOE BIDEN SAID ABOUT
I WANT
IT TODAY.
>> WE’RE PREPARED TO REENGAGE IN
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE P5+1 ON
IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
WE MUST ALSO ADDRESS IRAN’S
DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES ACROSS
THE MIDDLE EAST, AND WE’RE GOING
TO WORK IN CLOSE COOPERATION
WITH OUR EUROPEAN AND OTHER
PARTNERS AS WE PROCEED.
>> BEN, TONY BLINKEN SAID IN HIS
INTERVIEW WITH ME AND WHAT
THEY’VE BEEN STRESSING IS THESE
ARE JUST TALKS TO TALK ABOUT HOW
TO GET ENGAGED.
THEY WOULDN’T JUST BE THE U.S.
AND IRAN.
IT’S NOT TO REDO THE NUCLEAR
AGREEMENT OR REJOIN IT AS IT WAS
BUT CERTAINLY IN RESPONSE TO
KRITD
CRITICISM, ADDRESS IRAN’S
MISSILES AND BEHAVIOR LIKE THE
ATTACKS THIS PAST MONDAY.
>> YEAH, ANDREA.
I THINK THERE’S TWO QUESTIONS
HERE.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS DO YOU GET
BACK INTO THE ORIGINAL NUKE LASH
AGREEMENT?
DO THEY RETURN TO THE TERMS OF
THE AGREEMENT THAT DONALD TRUMP
LEFT A COUPLE YEARS AGO AFTER
THE UNITED STATES LEFT, THEN
IRAN STARTED VIOLATING THE TERMS
OF THAT AGREEMENT AS WELL.
THE BIDEN TEAM OF COURSE I THINK
DOES WANT TO GET BACK INTO THAT
AGREEMENT, DOES WANT THE
LIMITATIONS ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR
PROGRAM IN THAT AGREEMENT.
THEY MAY ALSO WANT TO DISCUSS OTHER ASPECTS OF WHAT IRAN HAS
OTHER ASPECTS OF WHAT IRAN HAS
BEEN DOING, LIKE A PROXY TAX ON
TROOPS IN IRAQ.
THE EUROPEANS WILL WANT TO GET
BACK INTO THAT AGREEMENT, MAKE
THAT FOUNDATION FOR THE
DISCUSSIONS WITH IRAN GOING
FORWARD.
I THINK THE BIDEN TEAM HAS TO
MAKE A JUDGMENT ABOUT WHETHER
THEY GO BACK INTO THE AGREEMENT
OR TRY TO BRING THESE ISSUES
INTO THE PRESENT NEGOTIATIONS
THAT WILL BE COMMENCING IN THE
DAYS AHEAD.
THAT’S TRICKY BECAUSE THE
IRANIANS ARE NOT GOING TO WANT
TO AGREE TO ADDRESS THINGS
BEYOND THE EXISTING AGREEMENT
THAT THEY RIGHTLY FEEL THE
UNITED STATES VIOLATED.
A LOT OF DIPLOMACY TO COME, BUT
THE GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY, AT
LEAST, IS THERE IS DIPLOMACY.
>> THERE IS DIPLOMACY, AND IF
IRAN AGREES TO ENGAGE, AND THERE
IS A PRESSING DEADLINE.
THEY’VE ALREADY, BECAUSE OF
TRUMP’S WITHDRAWAL FROM IT IN
2018, THEY’VE ALREADY IN THE
PAST YEAR VIOLATED LIMITS ON
FUEL PRODUCTION AND URANIUM
ENRICHMENT PRODUCTION.
BUT WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT TO CAN DO
IF THEY CARRY OUT THIS THREAT IS
AFTER THIS WEEKEND STOP
INSPECTORS FROM MAKING SPOT
INSPECTIONS AND SEEING WHERE
SUSPICIOUS SITES MIGHT BE.
THAT WOULD BE A CRITICAL
BREAKOUT MOMENT.
SO THEY HAVE TO AGREE TO BACK
DOWN TO THAT OR SOMETHING HAS TO
HAPPEN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS.
NICK BURNS, IN ADDITION TO IRAN,
WHICH YOU KNOW SO WELL, RUSSIA.
PRESIDENT BIDEN REALLY
ADDRESSING THE CRITICAL
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
EUROPEAN ALLIES AND RUSSIA.
LET’S WATCH THIS.
>> CRIMINALS ATTACK OUR
DEMOCRACIES AN WEAPONIZES
CORRUPTION TO TRY TO UNDERMINE
OUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE.
PUTIN SEEKS TO WEAKEN THE
EUROPEAN PROJECT AND OUR NATO
ALLIANCE.
HE WANTS TO UNDERMINE THE
TRANSATLANTIC UNITY AND OUR
RESOLVE BECAUSE IT’S SO MUCH
EASIER FOR THE KREMLIN TO BULLY
AND THREATEN INDIVIDUAL STATES
THAN IT IS TO NEGOTIATE WITH A
STRONG AND CLOSELY UNITED
TRANSATLANTIC COMMUNITY.
>> NICK, IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS,
THE ALLIES HAVE BEEN UPSET
BECAUSE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, NOT
CONSULTED THEM WITHDRAWING FROM
SYRIA, TIMETABLE FROM
AFGHANISTAN, WHICH TRUMP PUT
WHICH NOW HAS BEEN FROZEN BY
BIDEN.
BUT RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE NOT
BEEN DOING NOTHING.
THEY HAVE BEEN WOOING OTHER
MARKETS AND WOOING EUROPE AND
GERMANY IS DEPENDENT ON THE
NATURAL GAS PIPELINE.
SO HOW EASY IS IT GOING TO BE
FOR JOE BIDEN TO RE-ESTABLISH
AMERICA’S LEADERSHIP IN THE
WORLD?
>> ZRA, I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE
DIFFICULT, BUT YOU HAVE TO SAY,
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS HAD A VERY
STRONG WEEK.
EVERYTHING YOU REPORTED, BACK IN
THE PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE
AGREEMENT, BACK IN THE FIGHT
AGAINST THE PANDEMIC GLOBALLY AT
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
AND THIS SPEECH TODAY AT THE
CONFERENCE HAS PUT THE UNITED
STATES SQUARELY BACK ON CENTER
STAGE GLOBALLY IN A WAY THAT WE
HAVE TO.
YOU HEARD WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
SAID.
HE SAID THE BIGGEST COMPETITION
OF OUR TIME IS THE STRUGGLE
BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES
OF THE WORLD AND THE
AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES LIKE
CHINA AND RUSSIA.
HE WAS TOUGH ON RUSSIA IN A WAY
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP OF COURSE
NEVER WAS IN DECRYING THIS MAJOR
CYBERATTACK JUST OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF MONTHS IN THE UNITED
STATES AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT
THE UNITED STATES WAS NOT GOING