Biden administration turns focus to Iran as Secretary of State Blinken meets with European allies

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a virtual meeting with America’s key European allies Friday evening to discuss strategy toward Iran, Western diplomats and senior U.S. officials told NBC News.

Blinken will discuss Iran with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and the U.K. The diplomats will also consult about the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the situation in Myanmar. The last time the secretary of State held a call in this format was in 2018 as the U.S. was pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement, according to NBC.

The meeting will come after President Joe Biden’s National Security Council meets Friday afternoon to discuss the administration’s approach to Iran. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the NSC meeting is part of an ongoing policy review and no announcements will be made.

The developments are the strongest indication yet of Biden’s intention to turn the page on former President Donald Trump’s go-it-alone approach to Iran and diplomacy in general and to return the U.S. to a multilateral foreign policy.