The Biden Administration has made a radical shift in its policy regarding Iran, shelving the stalled nuclear dialogue to support those protesting against the Iranian government. Barack Obama expressed "solidarity" and acknowledged his "mistake" for keeping silent about the protests in the country during his presidency. Following suit, Joe Biden has now demanded that the Ayatollah regime cease its repression and has expressed support for those who persevere in the protests.
On Oct. 15, President Biden surprised the nation by confirming his Administration's shift in foreign policy. Biden said he was "stunned" by what is happening in the country. "Iran has to end the violence against its own citizens simply exercising their fundamental rights. I want you to know that we stand with the citizens, the brave women of Iran." he said, as reported by Just The News.
"We stand with the brave women of Iran."
During a speech Irvine Valley Community College in California, in which he was scheduled to talk about his economic policies, Biden shifted the topic to Iran.
#BREAKING: @POTUS speaks on #MahsaAmini’s death today. He says women & men in #Iran should have right to freedom of expression & assembly & women “should be able to wear in God’s name what they want to wear & no one should be telling them what to wear.”https://t.co/bnqOTzcDoB
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) October 14, 2022
The nuclear agreement is not the priority now
With these statements, Biden officially confirmed the perceived change in his government's policy towards the Iranian regime. Just days before on Oct. 12, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said this to reporters regarding a nuclear deal with Iran, per CNN:
That's not our focus right now... The Iranians have made very clear that this is not a deal that they have been prepared to make... And so right now our focus ... is on the remarkable bravery and courage that the Iranian people are exhibiting through their peaceful demonstrations, through their exercise of their universal right to freedom of assembly and to freedom of expression. And our focus right now is on shining a spotlight on what they're doing and supporting them in the ways we can.
To reinforce this line, Biden Administration heavyweights such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held meetings with Iranian activists and have shown their support for the anti-government protests.
It all began with Obama
Outside of government, it was Obama who led the way to this course correction. The day before Price's statements, Barack and Michelle Obama issued a statement for International Day of the Girl expressing their "solidarity with courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests." In the text, the ex-president and his wife highlighted how they "are moved by [Iranian girls and women's] acts of protest, and bear witnesses to [their] bravery in facing down the brutality of a regime resisting calls for change." He addressed those protestors: "You are delivering a powerful message that injustice should not be tolerated."
The message ended with a call for hope: "There are surely difficult days ahead, and our hearts go out to those who have tragically lost loved ones in Iran. But we believe that the future will ultimately belong to the young women and girls of Iran who are refusing to be silent. You remind us that true power comes not from clinging to the past, but from the effort to build a better future."
On this International Day of the Girl, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests. pic.twitter.com/71WfEdMt9A
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 11, 2022
Obama's "mistake" a decade ago
A few days later, on Oct. 15, the former president gave a long interview to Pod Save America in which he admitted regrets about his treatment of the 2009 revolts in Iran. "In retrospect, I think it was a mistake," he said during the interview. The Administration at the time was engaged in negotiations to reach a nuclear treaty with the Ayatollah regime and remained silent during the riots and repression.
"In retrospect, I think that was a mistake." @BarackObama on how his administration held back on public support for the 2009 Iran protests, and that we should "express some solidarity" with the Iranian protests now. pic.twitter.com/z7F3heSrQB
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) October 14, 2022
