Israeli Prime Minister: I Convincingly Persuaded Trump to Withdraw from JCPOA

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has claimed that he "convinced" Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to withdraw from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). By attributing the credit for Trump's decision to exit the nuclear agreement made three years ago between Iran and six world powers to himself, Netanyahu considered this a success for Israel. The Prime Minister made these remarks apparently on the evening of Tuesday, July 17, during a closed meeting with a limited group of Likud party activists, which he leads. The Israeli state media reported that Netanyahu's voice was secretly recorded at the closed Likud meeting and was exclusively obtained by this radio. The media broadcast these remarks as Netanyahu's "acknowledgment" of having "persuaded" the U.S. to exit the JCPOA. Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA on May 8; an action that was immediately praised by Netanyahu as a decision stemming from America’s "brave leadership" in confronting Iran. According to the recorded remarks from Netanyahu, apparently in a closed gathering of his active supporters in the Likud party, he said, "We must stand against the whole world and convince them to exit this agreement, and now, the Iranian regime." The report states that someone in the gathering said that the "Iranian regime will be destroyed," to which Netanyahu responded, "You said that; may it reach the ears of the Lord from your mouth." Netanyahu also emphasized in his remarks that "it is not the people of Iran, but the Iranian regime that is a danger, and we are not against the people of Iran." The Israeli newspaper Maariv's website described Netanyahu's remarks as "out of the ordinary." The social media accounts of the Israeli Prime Minister's office did not show promptness in disseminating Netanyahu's remarks, and by the time of the report's publication, the White House had not reacted to the statements of its Middle Eastern ally's leader. Donald Trump had criticized the JCPOA as "the worst deal he has ever seen" even before the start of his 2016 election campaign and had promised to withdraw from it during the campaign. This week, Trump, after a European trip including a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that maintaining the JCPOA was "not a good thing for the world." Netanyahu was dissatisfied with the previous U.S. administration's handling of nuclear negotiations with Iran and criticized the agreement as a bad pact after the U.S. and other world powers reached an agreement with Iran, but he insisted that monitoring Iran must continue vigorously. Following the rise of Donald Trump’s administration, Netanyahu reiterated his call for a "complete change or cancellation" of the JCPOA. The Israeli government insists that the JCPOA "not only did not reduce Iran's aggression, but Iran's aggression towards Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and especially Syria has increased; at the same time, Iran is developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and Iran's policies threaten global security while bringing tens of thousands of Shiite fighters to Syria, intending to turn Syria into another front for attacking Israel." Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, dozens of large and small global companies have ceased cooperation with Iran; a situation that Netanyahu has recently stated has led to the collapse of Iran's economy. However, Iran continues to work with other powers to preserve the JCPOA after the U.S. withdrawal; Iran announced this week that it has filed a complaint against the U.S. for re-imposing sanctions. Several European officials also stated this week that the European Union is trying to preserve the JCPOA through measures such as establishing several bank accounts for cooperation with Iran. Nevertheless, it is assessed that the onset of a series of heavy American sanctions starting from November 4 will create a darker outlook for Iran's economy; especially as U.S. officials have emphasized that Iran's oil exports must reach zero. Trump stated on Monday to Fox News that protests in Iran have spread following his administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA.