Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
If the United States walks out of the Iran deal, it will not amount to a legal dismantling of the agreement, however, Iran would be able to grasp that situation and adopt some measures, an expert says.
The deal, aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will be violated if the US quits, but the US is only one of the six international signatories, Abolfazl Shakouri, a political analyst, told Trend Oct. 10.
US President Donald Trump is a stern critic of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers – the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany.
Under the agreement, nuclear-related sanctions put in place against Iran were lifted in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump has said he will decertify the deal on Oct. 15, paving the way for the US to quit it.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, the US president described the JCPOA as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign.
Decertifying the deal will open the way for Congress to possibly authorize more restrictive measures against Iran. Congress requires the president to certify Iranian compliance with the deal every 90 days. The next certification date is Oct. 15.
Since the historic deal went into effect, the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA.
Iran has said if the deal is violated, the country will cease to comply with it and start enriching uranium above the level authorized by the deal.
“Even in that case, the JCPOA would be legally viable, but the United States would be cornered among the superpowers” that have the role of preserving the deal, Shakouri said.
“If the US walks out, it will give Iran some right to adopt certain actions, such as returning to the status it had before the deal, without having to pay any international prices,” the expert noted.
High-ranking European officials have cautioned against Donald Trump’s vows to decertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear agreement this week.
The strongest warning was made by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday said "the world will change" if Trump kills the international agreement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a possible US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal would have negative consequences.
On Monday, the UN atomic agency chief reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to the nuclear deal.
“I can state that the nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the [nuclear agreement] are being implemented,” Yukiya Amano said during a conference in Rome.