Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general for political affairs of European External Action Service, said on Twitter that the Iran nuclear deal, which the US abandoned during the Trump administration, was "at a critical moment. "Snapback was designed to help ensure that Iran performed its commitments under the JCPOA," a second senior State Department official said. The first senior State Department official said the idea that the talks could dissuade Iran from taking that step "was not part of the calculation." Biden is expected to address the matter in a series of foreign policy engagements Friday, according to a senior administration official. "I'd say these are not concessions to Iran, these are concessions to common sense," the first senior State Department official said.

Source: CNN February 18, 2021 17:54 UTC