Iran and the United States appeared poised Tuesday to start indirect talks in Qatar aimed at finding a way to save Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers.

The state-owned Tehran Times posted a photograph of Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, in a hotel lobby with Iranian Ambassador to Qatar Hamidreza Dehghani. The newspaper said Bagheri Kani was in Doha, the Qatari capital, for the resumption of the talks.

Rob Malley, the U.S. special representative for Iran, arrived in Qatar on Monday night ahead of the talks. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar said Malley met with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss “joint diplomatic efforts to address issues with Iran,” but declined to immediately offer any other details about his trip.

Malley, one of the main architects of the pro-Iran policies advanced by President Obama, has a history of virulent anti-Israel views and his idea of negotiating with Iran is to grant them whatever they demand.

Richard Goldberg of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) published a series of problems that Malley is choosing to overlook:

“As Iran Deal talks restart, Rob Malley is counting on everyone in Washington having fallen asleep at the wheel over the last few weeks, forgetting the details of a horrible deal already on the table,” Goldberg wrote. “Here’s a reminder of some major problems Malley will try to ignore:

“President Biden says the IRGC Quds Force is a terrorist organization. But Malley is offering to lift terrorism sanctions on the group’s top financiers. Congress should declare it will reimpose any and all IRGC-connected sanctions that are lifted in a deal.

“Malley’s Iran Deal would establish a sanctions evasion hub for Russia inside Iran. Congress should mandate the re-imposition of sanctions on Iranian banks and companies that do business with Russian banks and companies.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director General has made clear Iran is concealing undeclared nuclear activities in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Malley’s Iran Deal lifts sanctions without resolving Iran’s NPT non-compliance.

“As the Biden administration seeks to bolster defense capabilities for allies in the Middle East, Malley’s Iran Deal would lift sanctions on key sectors and institutions in Iran that finance its missile program.

“And remember, the terms of the deal are still as bad as ever. Iran gets MORE sanctions relief in exchange for FEWER restrictions on its nuclear program than it did in 2015. All while enjoying the same, already-expiring sunset provisions.

“Finally, a little-known factoid. The JCPOA requires the US to seek the repeal of all sanctions on Iran next year. That requirement has not been changed by Malley’s deal. What exactly happens next October when Congress refuses to repeal Iran sanctions? No one has discussed yet.

“Final Final. Perhaps most obvious and most often overlooked, admittedly by me in this thread. Iran is actively trying to assassinate former US officials. Today. Tomorrow. All week. All next week. Tehran is hunting Americans. Do I even need to explain how insane these talks are?”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)