Bolton: Withdrawal from JCPOA is not a precursor to military confrontation with Iran

Shortly after the U.S. President officially announced the withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic and the imposition of new sanctions, his national security advisor emphasized that this action "is not a precursor to military confrontation with Iran." The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday night, May 8, quoting John Bolton, national security advisor to Donald Trump, stating that those who believe the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA will lead to war with the Islamic Republic "are gravely mistaken." The U.S. President ended weeks of speculation on Tuesday by officially announcing that the United States is withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Iran and will reinstate suspended sanctions against Tehran. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., reached a comprehensive agreement to resolve Tehran's nuclear program after two years of intense negotiations in July 2015, which suspended many of the U.S. and UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran in exchange for halting some of Iran's nuclear activities. However, Donald Trump has shown staunch opposition to this agreement since his presidential campaign in 2016, describing it as "the worst deal ever," and on Tuesday night ended his country's participation in it. In response to Trump's stance on the JCPOA, many analysts have repeatedly stated that the U.S. withdrawal from this agreement will place the government in one of two positions: either attack Iran to prevent it from becoming nuclear or come to terms with a nuclear Iran. In response to this analysis, John Bolton stated shortly after the official announcement that withdrawal from the JCPOA does not mean "military confrontation with Iran." According to the Times of Israel, Bolton also emphasized in discussions with reporters that the JCPOA in its current form has "fundamental flaws" and "does not block Iran's path to a nuclear bomb." Meanwhile, in the past two years, the International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly stated that Tehran has adhered to the terms of the JCPOA and has not violated it. This has led supporters of the nuclear agreement to argue that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA under these circumstances would mean "the U.S. violating the agreement." Trump’s national security advisor responded to this point on Tuesday, saying, "I don’t think we are violating the JCPOA; we are withdrawing from it." According to Agence France-Presse, John Bolton also warned European companies contracted with Tehran that they have a few months to "wind down" their current contracts with Iran, "otherwise they will face U.S. sanctions." According to Bolton, "no new contracts are allowed." In response to Trump's announcement of withdrawal from the JCPOA, Hassan Rouhani described this action as "psychological warfare" aimed at exerting "economic pressure" on Iran and told the Iranian people that they should "not worry about the future of the country," as Tehran "had concluded weeks and months ago that Trump was not faithful to international commitments, including the JCPOA, and had made necessary decisions regarding economic issues." Bolton also addressed concerns about the impact of the withdrawal from the JCPOA on upcoming negotiations with North Korea, denying any negative effect in this regard. Less than a week ago, the White House announced that the first meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader might take place in the coming weeks. Donald Trump is expected to emphasize stopping North Korea's nuclear programs during this meeting. John Bolton insisted that he does not agree with critics of the JCPOA withdrawal who say this action will have a negative effect on negotiations with North Korea. Critics of the JCPOA withdrawal believe that Trump's latest action will damage America's credibility on the verge of negotiations with North Korea regarding its nuclear and missile activities. In response, John Bolton commented that this action is a sign that the U.S. will not accept "unsatisfactory" proposals and will strengthen America's position. He stated, "I think the message to North Korea is that the President wants a real deal."