Fact check: Was Iran ooen to a nuclear deal during biden's term?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence presents a complex picture of Iran's openness to nuclear negotiations during Biden's presidency. Iran's supreme leader did signal willingness to return to nuclear negotiations with the United States during Biden's term ^[1]. However, the Biden administration expressed significant doubt about resuming talks due to Iran's lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its continued nuclear escalations ^[1].

The Biden administration initially showed openness to rejoining the 2015 nuclear agreement and accepted an invitation from the European Union to attend a meeting of the original agreement participants ^[2]. Despite these diplomatic overtures, by the end of Biden's term, there was little to show for diplomatic efforts to revive a nuclear agreement ^[3].

Iran's nuclear program continued to advance significantly during Biden's presidency, not just under Trump but also under Biden's administration, which failed to re-enter into serious, direct negotiations ^[4]. An intelligence report from November under Biden concluded that Iran "is not building a nuclear weapon" but had "undertaken activities that better position it to produce one, if it so chooses" ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the Biden administration's continuation of Trump's "maximum pressure" policy, which critics argue was self-defeating and led to increased tensions that reduced the likelihood of successful nuclear negotiations ^[6]. This approach suggests that while Iran may have shown some openness, the U.S. policy framework created barriers to meaningful progress.

Alternative viewpoint from policy critics: Some analysts argue that Biden had a chance to undo Trump's mistakes but "dropped the ball" by maintaining the confrontational approach rather than pursuing genuine diplomatic engagement ^[6]. This perspective suggests that the failure to reach a deal was more due to U.S. policy choices than Iranian unwillingness.

Missing historical context: The analyses reference the original 2015 nuclear agreement signing and the 2018 U.S. withdrawal under Trump ^{[3] [7]}, but the question doesn't acknowledge how these prior events shaped the negotiating environment during Biden's term.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may be misleading. By asking whether Iran was "open" to a nuclear deal, it suggests a binary yes/no answer when the reality was far more nuanced. The evidence shows that both sides demonstrated some openness but also maintained positions that prevented successful negotiations.

The question also lacks acknowledgment that diplomatic negotiations require mutual willingness and compromise from both parties. The Biden administration's stated position that "Iran's actions, not words, will be the basis for judgment" ^[1] indicates that U.S. officials viewed Iranian signals of openness with skepticism based on Iran's continued nuclear activities.

The framing potentially oversimplifies a complex diplomatic situation where Iran's continued nuclear escalations occurred simultaneously with expressions of willingness to negotiate, creating a contradictory dynamic that the simple question doesn't capture.