It is good to be with you, everyone. I am ayman mohyeldin. For nearly a year now, we have been healing all about the effort that the u. S. Has been putting into restoring the 2015 iran nuclear deal. We have been told how important it is that time is of the essence that the iranians are being stubborn, but that we are being closer to restoring the agreement, President Trump killed back in 2018. In fact, just last month, thats a little bit of the headlines were saying. But now, that whole narrative is changing. The u. S. Iran and five other countries that are party to this deal are in the middle of the eighth round of talks in vienna. According to reporting from the wall street journal, u. S. Officials are now saying that Irans Nuclear capabilities are to advanced to even restore a key goal in the original deal. The socalled Breakout Period that iran would need to build a Nuclear Weapon has now decreased significantly, less than the 12 months that underpinned the initial pact. In fact, in pulling out of the deal, donald trump effectively ended the measures that would have eliminated irans uranium enrichment. That is a pretty clear i told you so moment for those of those who actually supported this at the time. And yet, around, and d. C. Are capitalizing on this moment, pushing the hopes for any deals further into oblivion, by arguing, what is the point of even having one . In fact, listen to a new jersey senator bob menendez earlier this week. 3 to 4 weeks, a month or less. That is how long most analysts have concluded it would take iran to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb, if they chose to do so. At this point, we seriously have to ask, what exactly are we trying to salvage, what are we trying to salvage . Now, some might say that to the senator in fact, were trying to salvage peace itself. See, there is no deal, and if no deal is reached the State Department has repeatedly warned that iran will try to become a nuclear state. And countries, in particular, israel have not only threatened action against iran if that happens, but is hoping that the u. S. Will join with it. In fact, just in december, Israeli Defense minister urged the Biden Administration to hold joint Military Exercises with his country to prepare to destroy Irans Nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails. A Pentagon Spokesperson says he has nothing to announce regarding any joint exercises with israel. Just what america needs, right . Another Military Conflict in the middle east, because the region is not destabilized enough. But not everyone is giving up on diplomacy just yet. Bidens Special Envoy to iran, rob malley, suggested that iran and the u. S. Should both simultaneously return to the agreement. And, then they should decide on the next steps. But is that even possible . Where do things really stand in vienna right now . In fact, is there anything left to salvage . Now joining me to discuss this and more is rob malley, the Biden AdministrationSpecial Envoy for iran, he was also lead negotiator in the 2015 iran nuclear deal, also known as the joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action or jcpoa. Robert, thank you so much for joining us, i appreciate your time greatly. The news this week, i have to say, makes the deal look like it is hanging by a thread, if it is not already dead. U. S. Officials saying Irans Nuclear program was already gone too far for the deals original framework to even matter. What should we be making of the headlines this week . So first, i would say great to be on your show, ayman. So, i think that no u. S. Official i know has said theres no point into cutting back into the deal, given this information. On the contrary. What we have heard so far, all the advances iran has made has bolster the case of getting back into the deal, because we have lived the alternative for the last several years, and i see what happens to Irans Nuclear program. Irans unconstrained, and that is why we see that, as of today, they are only a few weeks away from enough enriched uranium for a bomb. The points that you made about, well, because of the advances that they have made over the years, over the years since we withdrew from the deal, but it will be hard to recapture the full amount of benefits, a breakout time that is achieved in 2015, 2016. That is obviously one of the many catastrophic consequences of the decision to leave the deal. But our experts say, as of today, it is a position of President Biden, of secretary blinken, and the rest of the team. As of today, it is still well worth getting back into the deal, there is much that could still be salvaged. Not for much longer. As of today, our viewers say getting back into the deal, will be getting back profoundly into interest, profoundly into seeing iran, to avoid more tension, and more conflict in the middle east. As of today, it is clearly the u. S. Position, and still worth going into the deal. But what we have said, very openly to iran, is that will not be the case much longer, which is why we say, we only have a few more weeks to go, at the current pace of Irans Nuclear advances, to get back into the deal, or unfortunately, we will all face a very different reality. I am sure you have seen some of the comments made on capitol hill this week. Senator bob menendez question the point of rejoining the deal, as you are just making the case for it. Let me just play for you the soundbite on what he had to say about your perspective of the deal. Watch this. To quote again, rob malley, the president s iran negotiator, trying to revive the deal at this point would be quote, tantamount to trying to revive a dead corpse. All right. So according to him, in that specific quote that he used a view, he is trying to make you sound pretty hopeless. Obviously, thats not the case. Senator menendez, his visual aid this week, it seems that it was reminding me of a similar 1 10 years ago, with netanyahu. What do you say to bob menendez over there, with him using your quote . Well, obviously, we have a lot of demonstrations, and i work very closely with melendez on all issues. We know that he was a opponent of the jcpoa, we continue to talk to him about this and respected. But as i said at this pace, if we continue, we will soon reach the point or trying to revive the jcpoa would be tantamount to trying to revive a dead corpse. President biden still wants us to negotiate, going back next week. That is a signal or sign of our continued belief that it is not a dead corpse that we need to revive, because it is in our interest, it is the best way that we have to continue to put Irans Nuclear program back into a box to make sure that we could put that problem to the side, as we do with so many other issues that iran presents to us. So no, we have not yet reached that point, but i think that it is very clear that if we do not reach a deal soon, that point will have been reached. Then, we will have to think of other ways to address Irans Nuclear program. As of today, it is our view, and the view of our european partners. The best way forward is to get back into the deal, if iran is prepared to do its share, and come back into full compliance with its obligations. Let me play for you another clip if i can win the Un General Assembly last fall. It is the israeli Prime Minister, bennett. He had this to say about Irans Nuclear capabilities at the time. Irans Nuclear Program has hit a watershed moment. And so has our tolerance. Words did not stop centrifuges from spinning. Weird did not stop centrifuges but, military action, will that stop the centrifuges . We know israelis have asked the americans to join in Military Exercises. Is wore something you are preparing for if diplomacy fails . Again, we have, we worked very closely with the Israeli Government, we are very transparent, we do have a disagreement on this issue, our belief is not that words are going to stop Irans Nuclear program, it is at the jcpoa, the deal, the agreement that we reached proved that we stopped it, and could stop it again. Again, we have lived the alternative. This is not counterfactual, this is an experiment we have live for three years, without the deal, we saw what happened to Irans Nuclear program, and whats the maximum Pressure Campaign to the opposite of stopping the Nuclear Program. Irans Nuclear Program accelerated. Now i want to get back into the deal before iran is prepared to do so, we are prepared to do our share of lifting those sanctions that we are imposed by President Trump, which are inconsistent with the deal. If iran chooses a different path, of course we are prepared, we will use the tools that we have to put pressure on iran to make sure that they cannot acquire a bomb, which is a commitment President Biden has made. Keeping doors open for diplomacy, theyre using other tools at our disposal to make sure that iran cannot move towards acquiring a bomb. So that will be our policy, it is our policy, we will work with all our partners to achieve it. We have differences with israel, but we are working with them to make sure our common interests are performed, even if we have this difference in the news about the wisdom of getting back into the jcpoa. But i would not, and im sure you have noted as well, over the past several weeks, we have spent almost every single day, senior, formers, senior officials coming out and saying, including those who were in favor of the decision to withdraw from the deal when it was made in 2018 are now saying today, it was a catastrophic decision. One of the costliest decisions made for israels security, because today, in iran, its only weeks away from having enough material for a bomb, whereas with the jcpoa, they were months and months away from that threshold. So i think that recognition is something which is sobering, we hope others will listen to it as well. So, lets look at it from a slightly different perspective, from the iranian perspective for a moment, they are the other side of this equation. From there and, they have no reason to trust the United States. We tore up the deal, violated the pact by imposing more sanctions against them. We assassinated the top military general. What reason do you think they have to trust us, to believe any deal will even last beyond this administration . If you are iranian, would you trust anything the u. S. Is offering . I will not put myself in those shoes but i will say this, its what we conveyed to them. It is true, in our system, we cannot bind the future president. That is a decision, whoever comes into the oval office in the future will have to make. What would you say is that President Biden has made it clear that he will stand in compliance with the deal. The u. S. Will stand in compliance with the deal, as long as iran is in compliance. He would not be expanding this Political Capital on trying to get back into the deal if the point was then, to leave it. Now, lets get back into the deal as soon as possible, to show that it brings benefits, both to the United States and to iran. And then, trying to build on it to reach other understandings, which make it even stronger, and make it have more bipartisan support, more Regional Support in the middle east. So it never said that the jcpoa is the end of diplomacy. To the contrary, it is a necessary step so that we could lift sanctions, and iran would come back into compliance with its obligations, so we could no longer worry about Irans Nuclear program. But, we should build on it and clearly, that is our view. We think iran should also have an interest in addressing other issues that have not been addressed by the jcpoa. So we cant make a promise that we cant hold. President biden will not make, it i will not make. It we will not tell iran once we get into the deal, no president , future president couldnt do that. We dont intend to irans consistent in compliance with its obligations, and our hope is that we could show that this is a deal that is in our mutual benefit, which is the best way to ensure that it is attainable, to build on it, and strengthen it. Okay, so the iranians, they were in compliance with the deal by everybodys assessment. You suggested the u. S. And iran should both step back into the deal at the same time and go from there. But my question is, the u. S. Left the deal first. Why not be the first to rejoin, to say, we will go back into this deal, no conditions and pick it up from the point where we as a country broke our promises the first time. First of all, the sequence, who exactly goes first and second, i dont know if that is really the issue. If what you are suggesting as the u. S. Should go back in and then hope iran will follow suit, i think the ten months of negotiation proves this is not flipping a light switch. We have different views about what it means for the u. S. To be in compliance. They wanted to lift all of the sanctions that President Trump imposed, and we say some of them, he imposed because of irans behavior, which is nothing to do with the nuclear deal. So those, we intend to maintain, even though the majority would lift. Likewise, we have requirements for what it would mean for iran to come back into compliance with the deal, which we have not yet settled on. So we could take this step and say we are backing in, they would challenge that we are back in, it might not take the steps that arent required. Again, it is complicated, it is one of the legacies we have to get with from our former administration. Its not as easy as some people might think it is, going back in hoping iran will follow suit because, we have to agree, what does it mean for the u. S. To be back in compliance . What does it mean for iran to be back in compliance . Final question, for you, robert. What do you say when people say, why cant we live with a nuclear iran. We live with nuclear countries, they are irrational actor. The u. S. Concludes iran is a rational actor. They are about self preservation. What would you say to someone who says that iran once in a clear weapon, even though they made it clear they do not want it. I understand, it is about trust. But at the same time, why would we not be able to live with a nuclear iran, the same way we live with the nuclear north korea, pakistan or other countries . The notion of a Nuclear Arms Race in a region, a region that has suffered so much instability, and has cost us, the United States in so many ways, i think thats something we should not even contemplate. Iran has shown in this behavior across the region that it has engaged in destabilizing activities, iran armed with a Nuclear Weapon could do even worse. Its a commitment President Biden and former president s have made, they will not allow iran to get a bomb, thats not about to change. All right, rob malley thank you for your time, Special Envoy to iran, special good luck to you and everybody. Coming up, u. S. Officials are pushed further evidence to back their claims about russia and a raid in syria. Lets just say, it did not go so well for them. I will show you why after the break. So well for them so well for them i will their only friend . The open road. I have friends. [ chuckles ] break. Well, he may have friends, but he rides alone. Were literally riding together. He gets touchy when you talk about his lack of friends. Can you help me out here . No matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at 79 a year. Well, were new friends. To be fair. Eh, still. 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