The Iran Nuclear deal was signed by President Obama in 2015. The deal was signed by Iran and 5 members of the Security Council and Germany. The deal is contingent on the president certifying that Iran is complying with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Obama signed this on the dot. Now it is learned that Donald Trump for all his rhetoric against the deal during the election campaign has decided to certify that Iran is complying with its 2015 nuclear deal conditions. As a cover up Iran’s Javed Zarif told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that, “The United States has failed to implement its part of the bargain GPS.”
Iran and the deal
Iran signed the 2015 deal because it suited it and helped it to buy time.
Over the past two years, information has come to light that Iran has violated the terms of the treaty. It has exceeded the limits imposed on uranium enrichment and production of heavy water. It is continuing its efforts to procure dual-use nuclear and missile technology. It is also obstructing international inspection efforts. In the light of this, the Trump Administrations plan to go ahead with the Iran nuclear deal is fraught with a grave risk.
President Trump has repeatedly voiced his opinion that the Iran deal entered into by Obama was a diplomatic debacle. The fact is the deal is not renegotiable. After all Ronald Reagan had declared Iran as a sponsor of terrorism in 1984. What has changed now?
Obama gave the Iranians very favorable terms to entice them to sign the deal. Trump had opposed the deal all along.
Opposition
For GOP senators – Sens. Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and Ted Cruz have opposed the Iran nuclear deal. They want the administration re-impose the sanctions. They have urged President Trump not to certify the nuclear deal.
They cite evidence that German Intelligence reports in 2015 and 2016 clearly point to the fact that Iran tried to procure nuclear and missile technology. This violates the spirit of the deal.
The future
These allegations have been brushed aside by Zarif who says that Iran only engages in peaceful nuclear operations as permitted by the deal.
Trump is in a catch-22 situation and he will have to think how to get out of the Iran nuclear deal with minimal damage to America. He will do well to remember that China and Russia will not be on the side of the USA. He will, however, have to take a decision and cannot afford to procrastinate. In hindsight, Obama and Bush did a mistake not to back the Israeli plan to strike the nuclear facilities of Iran years back.
