History will bear that the Joe Biden era goes down as amongst the more restorative, progressive, and successful presidencies, after the tumultuous, unstable, and polarising tenure of Donald Trump. However, failing Iran (after committing to correct Trump’s unhinged policies) and allowing the Middle Eastern dynamics to regress, will count amongst Biden’s foreign policy failures. While demitting office, Biden’s former boss and the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, had counted thawing relations with Iran and thereby lessening the security concerns in the region as amongst his foremost successes.

Working along with the P5+1 and EU team, Team ObamaBiden had successfully concluded the Iran Nuclear Deal, which Obama had famously recalled in his farewell speech as one which “shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot”. It was hailed universally and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon had recognised the same by noting a “comprehensive, negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue will contribute to peace and stability in the region”.

There was, however, one notable exception to the cheering in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, soon thereafter Netanyahu was to find a rabble rousing anarchist in Donald Trump, who dutifully tore up the Iran Nuclear Deal unilaterally, even when the UN watchdog agency and other signatories to the deal had confirmed that Iran had been complying with all the stated commitments. Understandably Iran was indignant and livid, but helpless. A settled situation was knowingly unsettled, and the two architects of the renewed tensions were Trump and Netanyahu.

But as one amongst the principal forces behind the Iran Nuclear Deal, Biden (after defeating Trump’s second bid for Presidency) promised to turn back the clock and re-engage with Iran to bring back regional stability, again there was the shadow of Netan – yahu who was struggling for his own political relevance in Israel and needed ‘trouble’ to posit his own legitimacy. The moot ques tion then was if Biden would honour his word to reinstate the Iran Nuclear Deal, or if the hawkish Netan – yahu would succeed in keeping the regional pot burning.

A few months into his Presidency, Biden sent a reassuring message of his intent at a Rose Garden Press Conference where he said that he was, “pleased that Iran has continued to agree to engage in discussions, in dir ect discussions with us and with our partners on how we move forward and what is needed to allow us to move back”. Much was expected from Biden but strangely there was no concrete movement despite Iran sending messages through the European Union, etc. The inexplicable delay of any forward steps by White House were further insulting to Iranian sensibilities, as they had made the outreach despite the fact that the Nuclear Deal was destroyed, for no fault of theirs.

The first sign of frustration came forth when the Iranian Presidency moved from the hands of a moderate, liberal reformist like Hassan Rouhani to that of the hardline and conservative Ebrahim Raisi, almost on the rebound. Inadvertently, Biden’s inability to come good on the Iran Nuclear Deal (after explicitly stating his commitment to do so) contributed significantly to weakening the stance of moderates in Iran. Today, when the Israel-Iran shadow war through proxies like Hezbollah, Houthis or even the Hamas plays out as per Netanyahu’s game plan, giving him the much-needed distraction and legitimacy, the global project of demonizing Iran ensues, yet again.

While the dominant understanding of history in the US starts with the takeover of its embassy in Tehran in 1979 ~ the Iranian understanding goes further back with continuous interference and manipulation of its discourse by the CIA in Iranian affairs to the detriment of its people. Iranians have never forgiven the US for ousting the popular Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq in a coup that was o
rchestrated by the CIA, but such nuances and unforgettable memories are lost in the current noise which identifies Iran as the sole culprit, when the reality is more complex. Similarly, for Israel the equation with Iran is fixated with 7 October 2023 when Hamas perpetuated the most heinous, unjustifiable, and despicable terror attack ~ but that does not obliterate decades of Israeli oppression in the Gaza Strip or against Palestinians, who incidentally were made to pay with nearly 45,000 lives since 7 October. To assume one side to be the aggressor and the other as the victim is an age-old curse and

failing of the region that disallows the assessment of the situation with all its layers, intrigues, and side plays. Had Biden honoured his commitment to Iran, possibly the moderate voices would have been dominant in the Iranian corridors of power. It would have also led to more restraints on the Netanyahu brand of governance. Had Netanyahu been made accountable for his multiple derelictions, excesses, and missteps, with which he was charged domestically, instead of allowing him a priceless opportunity via the pressure-cooker-like situation in Gaza Strip by virtually killing all conversation on the ‘two-statesolution’, the narrative may have been different.

In the forgotten melee of continued vilification of Iran (with forgotten promises of reinstating the Iran Nuclear Deal), emboldening Netanhayu without any checks, and emasculating the Arab capitals by ‘normalising’ their relations with Israel, the Palestinians had become a forgotten cause. They were effectively dumped by Israelis, abandoned by Arabs, and became victims of a pliant and directionless US policy in the region. What happened subsequently and its terrible consequences are a grim reminder of the cost that people invariably pay when superpowers promise something, but conveniently forget to honour their commitments.

Now, binary attributions of villains and heroes ensue with whosoever has the monopoly on truth (read international media), and paints the definitive perception. Such short-termism, selective memory, distractive handles, and dishonoured commitments, have been the cause of strife and blood lust in the region. Sadly, an otherwise mature and progressive Biden presidency will have to carry the taint of having failed Iran.

(The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, AVSM (Retd), and former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry)