Kerry and Moniz Warn About U.S. Withdrawal from JCPOA

John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State and one of the architects of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, warned on Tuesday, April 7, about the consequences of the United States withdrawing from this agreement at the behest of Donald Trump. According to the American newspaper Washington Post, Kerry stated that if the U.S. withdraws from the JCPOA, it would require 'decades of renegotiation' to limit Iran's nuclear program. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Iran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against Iran. On behalf of the U.S. during Barack Obama's administration, John Kerry played the main negotiating role in reaching the agreement. After months and years of negotiations, particularly between Kerry and Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran finally agreed under this framework, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of nuclear sanctions against Tehran. However, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, began serious criticism of the JCPOA before his election campaign in 2016 and has continued to maintain his criticisms. Following these criticisms, Trump set a deadline two months ago for addressing the 'deficiencies' he identified in the JCPOA and threatened that without addressing them, he would not extend the lifting of sanctions on Iran and would withdraw from the nuclear agreement. This deadline ends on May 12, 2018. As this date approaches, comments and positions in defense of or against the JCPOA are increasing. Kerry commented on the nuclear agreement and its future on Tuesday, predicting that if the U.S. withdraws from the JCPOA, negotiations with the Iranian side would take at least another 30 years. The former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at a university in Philadelphia, warned: 'If we pull out, it will take 30 years for another president to negotiate with the Iranians.' Kerry further described the nuclear agreement with Iran as 'the toughest, most transparent, and most responsible arms control agreement in today's world.' While Kerry defends the JCPOA, alongside the Trump administration, Israel and Saudi Arabia have also firmly supported Trump's position, and the appointment of figures like Mike Pompeo at the State Department and John Bolton in the White House has intensified speculation that the U.S. is increasingly close to withdrawing from the JCPOA. In this context, the Deputy White House Press Secretary warned on Monday that if Trump's desired changes to the agreement are not implemented, the U.S. is prepared to withdraw from the JCPOA. Among the U.S. demands is the removal of the sunset clause from the JCPOA. According to this clause, Iran can increase its enrichment centrifuges after ten years and is allowed to increase its stock of less-enriched uranium after fifteen years. Critics of the JCPOA, including Donald Trump, believe that given this clause, Iran is only fifteen years away from becoming nuclear and will resume its activities after this time. On Tuesday, another architect of the JCPOA, Ernest Moniz, former Secretary of Energy under Barack Obama, responded to this criticism and called it incorrect. According to Moniz, in an article published in the Boston Globe, 'the reality is different' and Iran 'has committed to never' pursuing nuclear weapons. He also emphasized that there is no need for 100% trust in Tehran's 'commitment'; verification must always be conducted, and the provisions of the JCPOA allow for this. Moniz described the JCPOA as 'the toughest nuclear verification regime' established to date. Before Kerry and Moniz, over a hundred former U.S. officials in the national security sector issued a statement on Monday, April 6, supporting the nuclear agreement and urging the president not to withdraw from it.