CNN: European Joint Team Travels to Washington to Defend the JCPOA

CNN reported on Tuesday, December 7, citing a "senior European diplomat," that representatives from three European countries traveled to Washington "to defend" the nuclear agreement with Iran. According to the report, a "diplomatic source" whose name was not mentioned stated that Germany, the UK, and France have formed a "united front" to defend and protect the nuclear deal known as the JCPOA. The joint team from the three European countries will hold meetings in Washington on Thursday and Friday of this week with the aim of "increasing pressure on the U.S." Under a law passed by the U.S. Congress, the President is required to certify Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement every 90 days; however, Donald Trump refrained from doing so on October 22 after certifying Iran's compliance twice. Senior officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have repeatedly indicated that Iran's insistence on testing ballistic missiles means it is not adhering to the "spirit of the JCPOA," a claim that Iranian officials reject. Resolution 2231, which was adopted by the Security Council on July 29, 2015, states: "Iran is called upon to refrain from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons for eight years after the first day of the implementation of the JCPOA, including the use of related technology." Iran claims that the missiles it tests are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Trump, who has been a staunch opponent of the agreement since before taking office, refrained from certifying Tehran's compliance with the JCPOA, even though his advisors in the administration acknowledged that the JCPOA is at least currently the best way to control Iran's nuclear activities. Since Trump’s refusal to certify Iran's compliance on October 22, Congress has had 60 days to decide whether to continue the JCPOA in its current form or impose new sanctions on Tehran. There are just over two weeks left in this timeframe. In this context, CNN now reports on the visit of representatives from the three European countries as part of a team to Washington to "meet with members of Congress, State Department officials, and possibly White House officials." This is essentially a continuation of a campaign that the Europeans began weeks before Trump’s bombshell on October 22; a campaign that, according to CNN, intensifies with the "formation of a united front." Tehran signed the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA with the P5+1 group in July 2015, of which the United States is only one member; the other members of this group were France, Germany, the UK, China, and Russia. The UK, France, and Germany have previously made joint efforts to defend the JCPOA, including a joint statement released on October 21, in which they urged the U.S. to "consider the implications for the security of the United States and its allies before taking any action that could undermine the JCPOA."