Iran’s rational diplomacy vs. Trump’s bid to kill JCPOA

President Trump, despite his earlier move to refer the Iran deal to the US Congress, for a third time has decided to keep the nuclear sanctions suspended for another 120 days.

Trump still insists that the Congress and Washington's European allies should do something to amend the July 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known also as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or face US abandonment of the international pact.

This is while, repeated reports (in fact 9 reports!) by the United Nations atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have verified that Iran has been committed to the JCPOA it has signed with the P5+1 group of nations. 

But a former Iranian diplomat and international relations expert argues that Trump and his administration will end up in isolation should US unilaterally leave the JCPOA.

The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, while the country represents itself as a guarantor of the international laws and caretaker of Charter of the United Nations, is tantamount to a political suicide for Trump and his administration, Ali Khorram told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in a recent interview. 

'Legally Trump is not allowed to decertify the JCPOA, and if he does decide to do so, he has to counter his allies,' Khorram said.

That is why the US president so far has failed to go on with his plan to kill the deal, he added.

The former Iranian diplomat said that in fact extending an agreement or keeping suspended the nuclear sanctions against Iran, is a legal issue and not a political one and that is why Trump after assuming the office last year had no way but to continue with the suspension of the nuclear sanctions.

Khorram said that even after the next 120 days, and despite his threats to sink the nuclear deal, Trump will not be able to decertify the JCPOA. 

'Unless he forms a global consensus against Iran, the US president can do nothing,' he said.

However, the international relations expert warned against any attempts by Iran to violate the international nuclear deal.

'In order to form a global consensus against Iran, Trump is using Iran's [defensive] missile program, Tehran's support for Yemen, recent unrest in the country, etc. as pretexts,' Khorram said.

'So Iran should be cautious not to provide the United States with any such excuses to act against us,' he stressed.

Trump over the past year has raised baseless claims as well as threats to sabotage the deal, he said.

'But even in case some European allies, like Britain decides to rally behind the US against the Iran deal, again they are not legally allowed to do so,' he said.

'Sure enough, the European Union is well aware of the fact that the JCPOA is a multilateral agreement and due to its strong legal basis none of the signatories to the deal can kill it,' he said.

Moreover, the European countries are after preserving the international peace and security and they cannot stand against a deal they are part of it, he added.

The former Iranian diplomat and international relations expert said that Trump vowing to unilaterally abandon the JCPOA has stumbled into a political legal trap and by no means he can get rid of it.

A mistake by Iran could provide Trump with a chance to get rid of the trap and continue to sabotage the nuclear deal, Khorram said.

'However, Iran's rational diplomacy will prevent it from making such a mistake,' he stressed.
 

Abridged and translated by: Reza Bahar

Source: IRNA