US President Joe Biden named Robert Malley, a key member of former President Barack Obama’s team, as special U.S. envoy for Iran, a senior official said on Thursday.
“Secretary Blinken is building a dedicated team, drawing from clear-eyed experts with a persity of views. Leading that team as our Special Envoy for Iran will be Rob Malley, who brings to the position a track record of success negotiating constraints on Iran’s nuclear program,” the State Department official said.
“The Secretary is confident he and his team will be able to do that once again,” the official added, referring to Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
When Malley’s name first surfaced in news reports as a leading candidate for the post, he received criticism from some Republican lawmakers and pro-Israel groups, as they expressed concern that he would be soft on Iran and tough on Israel.
However, a number of foreign policy veterans rushed to his defense, praising him as a respected, even-handed diplomat.
The post would make him the point person in Biden’s efforts to deal with Iran after years of worsening relations under Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump reimposed crippling economic sanctions after pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
Malley held important senior positions in the Democratic administrations of Obama and former President Bill Clinton, with a focus on Middle East and Gulf policymaking, which helped him informally advise Biden’s team during the 2020 campaign.
Most recently, he was the president of the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization focused on global conflict.
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