American Senators' Reaction to Trump's Possible Decision on Nuclear Deal with Iran

On Monday, May 6, 11 senior Democratic senators and one independent senator warned Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in a letter that a unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the JCPOA, would be a major "strategic" mistake. This comes as Senator Marco Rubio has called for the U.S. to exit the JCPOA. The letter was published just hours after Trump's tweet regarding his decision on the nuclear agreement with Iran. The U.S. President announced in a tweet that at 2 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 7, he would declare whether he would extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran under the JCPOA or withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Tehran. The letter from the 12 senators states: "We have supported comprehensive and extensive sanctions against Iran due to its support for terrorist groups, its ballistic missile program, human rights violations, and actions to counter Iran's destabilizing and destructive activities." They added: "We all strongly believe that a unilateral exit from the agreement under these circumstances would be a major strategic mistake." In another part of the letter, these 12 senators stated: "Instead of exiting the JCPOA by not extending the suspension of sanctions against Iran and its oil buyers on May 12, we urge you to work with our partners and allies to address Iran's destructive activities and strengthen and support the nuclear constraints of the JCPOA." Senators Dianne Feinstein, Mark Warner, Bernie Sanders, and Patrick Leahy are among the signatories of this letter. Donald Trump, who is a staunch opponent of the Iran nuclear deal and has called it "the worst deal ever," warned America's European allies that if the "catastrophic flaws" of the JCPOA are not addressed, he will withdraw from the agreement. The deadline for this decision was set for May 12 (May 22), but it appears that Mr. Trump has decided to announce his position four days earlier. In this context, Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Florida also stated that Donald Trump should withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran. According to Fox News, Marco Rubio pointed out that Iran's missile capabilities pose a threat to American forces in the region, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other U.S. allies in the area, stating: "Proposals to amend the JCPOA do not prevent the development of Iran's missile capabilities that can carry nuclear warheads." Senator Rubio emphasized: "Donald Trump should exit the flawed JCPOA and impose crippling financial and economic sanctions against Iran." Meanwhile, a European diplomat stated on Monday that the U.S. President will exit the JCPOA. This unnamed European diplomat told the Washington Examiner: "It is quite clear that if nothing changes in the coming days, Donald Trump will not extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran." Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK, along with Germany, reached a comprehensive agreement in 2015 to resolve ambiguities in Iran's nuclear program, under which Iran limited some of its nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Tehran. In recent weeks, America's European partners, such as Germany, France, and the UK, have tried to persuade Donald Trump to remain in the JCPOA. The leaders of these three countries have stated that they believe the JCPOA is the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, they are seeking a complementary agreement to the JCPOA to control Iran's missile program and military presence in the region and the conditions after the end of the JCPOA. Iranian officials have recently warned about the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also stated on Monday that "if our goals from the JCPOA are achieved without the U.S., so much the better; otherwise, we will make our decision."