Bloomberg: Trump May Seek Stricter Oversight of Iran's Compliance While Maintaining JCPOA

Bloomberg reported, citing several American officials, that Donald Trump is likely to maintain the nuclear agreement in his new strategy regarding Iran but will demand stricter oversight of Iran's compliance with this agreement. In a report published by Bloomberg on Sunday, this was stated by three unnamed U.S. officials, who did not disclose their identities because the final decision of the U.S. President on this matter has not yet been announced. These three American officials told Bloomberg that Donald Trump is considering a new strategy in dealing with Iran that may 'currently' preserve Iran's nuclear agreement but ask Congress to tighten the law overseeing Iran's compliance with this treaty. The report mentioned that the goal of the new strategy, which is expected to be announced in the coming days, is to create a united front from the U.S. government and Congress to European allies. At the same time, these sources refrained from commenting on Trump's potential decision regarding Iran's compliance or non-compliance with the nuclear agreement. According to the law, the U.S. government is required to report Iran's compliance or non-compliance with the nuclear agreement to Congress every 90 days, and Trump has confirmed Iran's compliance twice during his presidency. However, this summer, when Trump's administration confirmed Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement for the second time, Foreign Policy reported, citing several American officials, that the U.S. President, dissatisfied with his State Department's actions regarding the JCPOA, had asked a group of trusted White House staffers to prepare a 'potential case' to prove Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA text within the next 90-day deadline. This 90-day deadline will expire in the coming days, and despite the support of some U.S. officials, including the Secretaries of State and Defense, as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for maintaining the JCPOA, comments from the President himself and some other American officials have cast doubt on the likelihood of reaffirming Iran's compliance with the JCPOA and, ultimately, the future of this agreement. Mr. Trump has been a staunch critic of the JCPOA since last year's presidential campaign in the U.S. and has repeatedly described this agreement as 'the worst deal ever' since taking office in February of last year. He, who accuses Iran of violating the spirit of the nuclear agreement, recently stated that this agreement is a source of shame for America and, in a television interview on Saturday, described 'Iran's bad behavior and troublemaking in the Middle East' as evidence of 'the spirit of the JCPOA not being in place.' American officials believe that 'Iran's destabilizing behaviors,' including its missile program and support for militia groups in the region, violate the spirit of the nuclear agreement, as Tehran is supposed to participate in regional and global peace and stability based on this agreement. Meanwhile, if the announcement of Iran's non-compliance with the nuclear agreement leads to Washington's withdrawal from this agreement, Iranian officials have stated that they have options, one of which could be Tehran's exit from this agreement. Other countries participating in the nuclear agreement are also taking steps to preserve this agreement, and in this regard, last week Reuters reported that the ambassadors of France, Germany, and the UK, along with the EU ambassador in Washington, have initiated new efforts to garner support from U.S. Congress members for the nuclear agreement with Iran. If the U.S. government does not confirm Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide on reinstating suspended sanctions against Iran.