Haley: Leaving the JCPOA Will Not Undermine America's Credibility

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Thursday, September 21, that Donald Trump will decide on Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal, the JCPOA, based on U.S. national interests. She also emphasized that the JCPOA cannot serve as a license for Iran's continued wrongful actions in the region. According to the White House, Haley mentioned in a press conference in New York regarding her recent negotiations during the UN General Assembly that Iran was one of the topics of discussion. Everyone was talking about Iran's destabilizing actions across the Middle East; in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and the list goes on. In response to the question of whether the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA would damage America's diplomatic credibility, she said: 'No, such an action will not undermine the diplomatic credibility of the United States; rather, it shows that the U.S. government is thinking about its people.' The U.S. representative further emphasized that after any agreement, it must be reassessed to determine its effectiveness. Haley stated that the President of the United States is also responsible for ensuring that nothing happens to Americans. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was signed in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK, along with Germany. Under this agreement, Iran suspended parts of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting or suspension of nuclear sanctions against Tehran. Meanwhile, the U.S. President has ordered a review of U.S. policies towards Iran and expressed doubt about Washington's commitment to this agreement on Tuesday. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly, Donald Trump referred to the Iran nuclear deal as 'a bad deal' and emphasized that the U.S. will never remain in a one-sided agreement that offers no benefits to this country. Regarding the U.S. approach to Iran, Haley stated that there are currently two processes underway. One is that on October 15, the President must decide whether Iran has complied with the nuclear agreement or not. This issue is not related to the JCPOA or the nuclear agreement with Iran. The U.S. representative added that this matter is based on U.S. law. U.S. law requires the President to decide every 90 days whether Iran's compliance with the agreement and the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution, which include issues such as ballistic missile testing, arms trafficking, and support for terrorism, are in what condition. Haley also emphasized that if the President still believes that the nuclear agreement with Iran is in the interest of the United States, he will confirm it. If he thinks that this agreement or its conditions are not in the interest of Americans, he will not confirm it. According to a law passed by Congress, the U.S. government must report every 90 days to lawmakers on Iran's compliance or non-compliance with the JCPOA. The Trump administration has confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA twice so far. In October, the U.S. government must announce its opinion regarding the JCPOA once again. According to Nikki Haley, if Donald Trump does not confirm the nuclear agreement with Iran, then the President will work with Congress to formulate a new status. Haley reiterated that the issue of the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, and U.S. law in this regard are two separate processes. The U.S. representative referred to Security Council Resolution 2231, which was issued after the JCPOA, stating: 'This resolution says that if Iran takes any of these actions, it will be considered a violation of this resolution.' Since then, the UN Secretary-General has emphasized in his report that Iran has violated all these actions, meaning Iran's support for terrorism, arms trafficking, and continued ballistic missile testing. Therefore, they (Iran) must be held accountable for these actions. Haley added: 'The issue that you will see from now on is that we at the UN will ensure that they (Iranians) understand; this nuclear agreement is not a license for the continuation of all their current wrongful actions.' Security Council Resolution 2231, which was issued after the nuclear agreement, requested Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and also prohibited the country from exporting and transferring various weapons.