Pentagon: U.S. should stay with Iran nuclear deal
By Kamila Aliyeva
As a mid-October deadline for recertifying Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is nearing, the U.S. officials seem to be very sensitive about the issue.
Pentagon suggested U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long been known as the main critic of the deal, not to leave the agreement on Iranian nuclear program, since there is currently no evidence of violations by Tehran and it meets the interests of Washington.
This was stated by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on October 3, according to the media reports.
"The point I would make is that if we can confirm that Iran is living by the agreement, if we can determine that this is in our best interest, then clearly we should stay with it. I believe at this point in time, absent indications to the contrary, it is something that the president should consider staying with,” he said.
Appearing alongside Mattis, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford also told the panel Iran “is not in material breach” of the agreement, contending that the pact has “delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran.”
The U.S. president has, so far, remained silent on whether he plans to certify before Congress on October 15 that Iran is complying with its obligations under the nuclear agreement.
The Iran nuclear deal was negotiated in July 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. By ratifying the plan, Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
At the same time, the U.S. retains sanctions against Iran on the missile program, human rights and on suspicion that Tehran sponsors terrorism.
Currently, Washington insists on inspections of Iran's military facilities by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, Tehran rejects such inspections.
The presidential administration was previously instructed to review its policy on Iran, not only looking at Tehran's compliance with the nuclear deal but also its behavior in the region.
---
Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz