Former Obama official predicts Harris will seek new Iran nuclear deal: 'That has to be the goal'

A Middle East policy expert who helped secure the Iran nuclear deal expects Vice President Kamala Harris to seek a similar deal with Tehran if she wins the White House.

“The idea that the old nuclear deal can just be revived, we’re past that. Iran’s progress in its nuclear program has gone beyond previous limits… a firm, verifiable nuclear deal that controls and manages the ability to accelerate nuclear weapons, that has to be the goal,” said Joel Rubin, a Democratic strategist and former assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in the Obama administration in the House.

“The best way to do that is to reach a firm and verified nuclear agreement… Any realistic president would support that. And Kamala Harris is a realistic future president.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris should create some form of Iran nuclear deal, a former Obama official said. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran, members of the United Nations National Security Council and the European Union.

Republicans and some moderate Democrats have opposed the deal, saying it is too weak to contain the Islamic regime's nuclear ambitions. Supporters of Iran policy in the United States have also argued that lifting sanctions on Iran would only embolden Iranian leaders to oppose the West.

President Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.

But allies of former President Barack Obama have maintained that it was a necessary compromise to limit the threat posed by Iran's nuclear capabilities and a sure way to bring Tehran to the negotiating table.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened the door to new negotiations this week. (Iranian leader's press office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“There has to be a way to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. If it were to acquire a nuclear weapon, it would be a threat to the region and to the world, including, of course, to the United States. But it's not going to be an easy solution,” Rubin said.

Harris said during her short-lived 2020 presidential campaign that she would rejoin the Iran deal if elected president.

While it is unclear whether she has retained that position in her 2024 campaign platform, it could expose her to GOP accusations of emboldening Iran at a time when the country is already becoming more aggressive toward the United States and its allies.

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As president, Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested Tuesday that Tehran could resume negotiations on a nuclear deal, according to The Associated Press. Khamenei said there was “no harm” in interacting with an “enemy” in “certain situations.”

A State Department spokesperson, however, told RadioFreeEurope that re-entry into the deal “is not on the table at this time.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.