Increased Efforts by European Powers to Preserve the JCPOA

With less than a week until the deadline set by the U.S. President for 'fixing or abandoning' the JCPOA, senior officials from Germany and Britain have intensified their efforts to preserve the nuclear agreement with Iran. In the U.S., a senior Republican congressman has warned about the consequences of the U.S. exiting the JCPOA. Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the UN, stated on May 6 that from London's perspective, there is still a possibility to convince President Trump to maintain the agreement by addressing his concerns. Darroch told CBS, 'We believe that a language can be found, actions can be taken that will collectively alleviate the President's concerns.' Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, stated on Fox News that Trump's exit from the nuclear deal would be 'a mistake' and advised against it. Thornberry, who opposed the nuclear deal during the Obama administration, remarked, 'In my opinion, this deal was a bad deal.' He added, 'But the key question is, what happens if the U.S. exits? Will Iran expel inspectors and we will have no oversight of their activities?' Trump has always been a critic of the nuclear deal and has severely criticized the negotiations conducted during Obama's presidency. The Obama administration called the nuclear agreement a 'historic deal' that prevented Iran from accessing nuclear weapons. However, the current U.S. President has given European allies until May 22 to make amendments to the JCPOA; otherwise, he will not extend the suspension of related sanctions. Trump has demanded amendments such as making nuclear restrictions permanent, imposing limits and bans on Iran's missile program, and broader inspections of Iran's facilities. Britain, Germany, France, the European Union, China, and Russia, other negotiating parties with Iran, are calling for the preservation of the nuclear agreement. Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, is another senior European official who has reiterated the necessity of maintaining the nuclear agreement. Johnson is currently in the U.S. and is set to meet with Trump. On Sunday, he stated, 'Britain, the United States, and European partners are united in wanting to tackle those Iranian behaviors that have diminished security in the Middle East; behaviors such as cyber activities, support for groups like Hezbollah, and the dangerous missile program that also arms the Houthis in Yemen.' He also wrote in an article for The New York Times that the nuclear agreement 'has weaknesses, certainly, but I am confident those weaknesses can be addressed. In fact, Britain is currently working alongside Trump and French and German allies to ensure these issues are resolved.' Boris Johnson stated that other options besides maintaining the current agreement are worse. Concurrently, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of Germany, warned in an interview with ARD about the serious consequences of abandoning the JCPOA. Steinmeier quoted John Kerry, the then U.S. Secretary of State, who said at the signing of the nuclear agreement: 'A war was prevented.' The German President stated, 'This is an important quote; we must realize what could happen if the agreement is dismantled and the Middle East moves towards armament.' On Sunday, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, warned about the consequences of exiting the JCPOA, stating that Tehran has plans for all of Trump's actions. The nuclear agreement was reached in July 2015 between the then U.S. government, Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia, and Iran. Besides Trump, the Israeli government is also opposed to this agreement and has made efforts to convince countries to abandon it. Senior Saudi officials have also called for its amendment.