Iraqchi: The likelihood of the U.S. exiting the JCPOA is high

The political deputy of Iran's Foreign Ministry states that the likelihood of the U.S. government exiting the nuclear agreement is high. Abbas Araghchi added that Tehran has informed European parties that if the U.S. exits, Iran will also withdraw from the JCPOA. On March 14, Abbas Araghchi stated in a session of the National Security Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly that 'the main challenge currently is the JCPOA and how the Western countries interact with it.' This senior Iranian official sees the recent changes in the U.S. State Department as related to this issue, saying, 'The change in the State Department has occurred in this context or at least one of the reasons for it is this.' Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, was dismissed on March 13 after months of speculation, and Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, was nominated by Donald Trump, the U.S. President, to replace him. Trump himself stated on Tuesday, 'We have been talking about Rex Tillerson for a long time. We had disagreements on certain issues, such as the Iran nuclear deal. We do not think alike, but we are on the same page with Mike Pompeo.' Abbas Araghchi, in the session of the Iranian National Security Commission, stated that if the U.S. exits the JCPOA, there are 'two paths' for Tehran: 'The first path is to continue the JCPOA without the U.S., and the other is for Iran to exit the JCPOA and end it.' The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister further added, 'Our issue is that if the U.S. exits, we will also exit; we have told the Europeans that if they cannot keep the U.S. in the JCPOA, Iran will also exit.' Donald Trump has harshly criticized the nuclear agreement made by Barack Obama's administration with five world powers and Iran, both during the 2016 presidential campaign and after taking office. Mike Pompeo is another staunch critic of the nuclear deal. On January 12, Trump announced that he would extend the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time, and if what he sees as shortcomings and flaws in the agreement are not resolved, the suspension of sanctions will also end. The U.S. President has set four conditions for continuing U.S. participation in the JCPOA: 'immediate access' for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making limitations on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring that Iran does not approach nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's long-range missile program; as Trump stated, the long-range missile program and Iran's nuclear weapons program are 'inseparable.' Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, also emphasized in mid-March that 'if the nuclear agreement with Iran is not amended in the coming months, the U.S. will immediately exit it.' Trump has described the Iranian government as 'the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism' and a creator of 'Hezbollah, Hamas, and many other terrorists' and 'chaos' in the region. Iran has denied supporting terrorism and interfering in the affairs of regional countries. Tehran has not accepted renegotiating the JCPOA or adding outside topics to it. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K., and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 on limiting or ending various aspects of nuclear activities on one side and lifting international sanctions against it on the other.