Several Republicans accuse Biden of 'secret agreement' with Iran

A group of Republicans are accusing US President Joe Biden of arranging a "secret agreement" with the Iranian government related to its nuclear proliferation.

The accusations, detailed in a letter to Biden, follow more than two years of the Biden administration's attempt to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which former President Obama signed in 2015 and his successor Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.

The three signatories, Representatives Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Elise Stefanik of New York and Michael T. McCaul of Texas, expressed concerns in their letter that any deal or agreement that the US made with Iran would not halt its nuclear ambitions.

"Any such deal or understanding with Iran that does not permanently and completely halt Iran's nuclear enrichment raises concerns that your Administration is entrenching an Iranian nuclear program that threatens US national security," the representatives' letter to Biden reads.

They go on to say that Iran has enough material to make two nuclear weapons, that Iran has ceased complying with the JCPOA, and that it is refusing to cooperate with an ongoing International Atomic Energy Agency investigation fully. 

The letter cites an 11 August article in the Wall Street Journal reporting that Iran has recently diluted some of its 60 per cent enriched uranium, which coincides with news of Iran pledging to release US hostages in exchange for Iranians and $6 billion in frozen assets. They believe this amounts to the Biden administration making a secret agreement with Iran.

"What the representatives are suggesting is that Biden has done it but has not announced it in public. They're accusing Biden of a secret understanding," James Devine, associate professor of politics and international relations at Mount Allison University, told The New Arab.

He noted another sign some are seeing of a supposed secret agreement is a rise in Iranian oil exports, which can be explained by imports by China. "They're putting two and two together. Maybe that equals four." 

He said, "There's a lot of diplomacy involved. It could be seen as part of a diplomatic process. While they're doing that, they could be acting tough in other areas. It could be part of a diplomatic dance while they negotiate."

Biden's critics of his diplomacy efforts with Iran are accusing him of appeasement and setting a precedent. However, Devine points out that Biden wouldn't be the first president to make a deal with Iran.

"The US making deals with Iran is nothing new. Obama did it. The biggest case was Reagan with the Iran Contra deal," he said, referring to former President Ronald Reagan exchanging weapons for hostages. "The precedent has long been set. This isn't new."