The White House notified the U.S. Congress last Tuesday that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and that sanctions relief would be extended to Iran in return for the curbing of its nuclear program.
However, the U.S. Department of State maintained that an inter-agency review of the Iran deal was being conducted due to concerns regarding the Islamic Republic’s continued role as a state sponsor of terrorism within the Middle East and surrounding areas.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised the concerns in a letter sent to Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Paul Ryan on Tuesday alerting Congress to an effort led by President Donald Trump to evaluate whether the continued lifting of sanctions on Iran would be in America’s national security interests.
“Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror through many platforms and methods,” wrote Tillerson.
“President Donald J. Trump has directed a National Security Council-led inter-agency review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that will evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the JCPOA (the nuclear deal’s formal name) is vital to the national security interests of the United States,” he wrote.
During his presidential campaign last year, Trump vowed to “dismantle” the nuclear deal and to “force the Iranians back to the bargaining table.” In February, the Trump administration warned Iran that it had been “put on notice” and imposed sanctions on several entities connected to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program.
What issues could arise from such decisions for Israel and the United States?
Originally posted at JNS.
