Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday it is “unlikely” the US and Iran will reach an agreement to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the immediate future, indicating that the ongoing standoff over Iran’s nuclear program is far from being resolved. 

France, Britain and Germany on Saturday said they had "serious doubts" about Iran's intentions to revive a nuclear deal, comments that were rejected by Tehran and called "very untimely" by Moscow.

Iran earlier this month sent its latest response to the European Union's proposed text to restore the 2015 agreement under which Tehran had restrained its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. economic sanctions.

President Biden’s efforts to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran are continuing apace, as worries about significant U.S. concessions emerge. The latest reports out of the indirect talks being facilitated by the EU indicate that Washington and Tehran are getting closer to a deal; the Biden administration is reportedly waiting on an Iranian response to its most recent proposal from mid August. That doesn’t necessarily mean an agreement is imminent, but there’s some reason to believe that one may emerge in the coming weeks.

Announcing the first Iran nuclear deal in 2015, President Obama said it was built on verification, not trust. As governments examine the latest document agreed to by negotiators, the main obstacle to a renewed deal remains distrust.

American and Iranian nuclear negotiators are returning to their capitals with the final text of a document to restore the embattled 2015 Iran nuclear deal, after more than 15 months of European Union-brokered diplomacy in Vienna concluded with a final four-day round of talks.

Blink and you might miss how rapidly the Middle East is changing. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated by President Barack Obama, better known as the Iran nuclear deal, created heightened instability. But that deal, along with Obama’s desire to disengage from the Middle East, prompted a willingness among Gulf Arab states and Israel to cooperate, laying the groundwork for the Abraham Accords, which the Trump administration negotiated in 2020.

President Biden on Wednesday dismissed members of his own party who have been critical of Israel, telling an Israeli news station that those progressive lawmakers are “wrong.”

Biden sat for an interview with N12 News in Israel and was asked about Democrats who have called Israel an “apartheid state” and called for an end to unconditional aid for Israel.

“There are few of them. I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake,” Biden said. “Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend, and I think that I make no apologies.”

US President Joe Biden has landed in Tel Aviv in Israel on his first visit to the Middle East in his current role.

Arriving on Air Force One at Ben Gurion airport on Wednesday, Biden was warmly greeted by Israeli officials and, in a speech, described the US’s connection with the country as “bone-deep”.

“You don’t need to be a Jew to be a Zionist,” said Biden in his opening remarks. “The connection between the Israeli and American people is bone deep … I am proud to say that US relations with Israel are deeper and stronger than they have ever been.”

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced Wednesday that due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden would not be shaking hands with anyone during this week's Middle East trip.

Not long afterwards, though, Biden met former Israeli Prime Ministar Bibi Netanyahu, and shook hands with him.

Sullivan had discussed the policy while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One prior to the president's arrival in Israel, the first stop on the trip.

Russia has walked back its threat to torpedo the revival of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal over recent sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, reopening the way to an agreement after nearly a year of talks. 

While Republicans have denounced Russia leading the talks with Iran for a new nuclear deal, it is being reported Russia's demand for sanctions protections has put talks on the verge of collapse.

Just days after reports a deal was close, diplomats are now signaling talks for a rewritten Iran nuclear deal have stalled due to Russia's demand for sanctions protections amid the world response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Politico reported Thursday night.