Netanyahu: The U.S. is on the verge of exiting the JCPOA

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, gives a "very strong possibility" that the U.S. will soon exit the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. According to him, the U.S. is on the brink of leaving the JCPOA. Mr. Netanyahu, who has returned from a trip to the U.S. and a meeting with Donald Trump, made this assessment during a cabinet meeting and welcomed this possibility in advance. Israeli Channel 10 reported on Thursday evening, March 14, that the Prime Minister presented a report on his recent trip to the U.S. and his negotiations with Donald Trump to the ministers at the last cabinet meeting. According to the report, Trump told him during their working meeting at the White House that the changes European countries are trying to make to the JCPOA based on the U.S. deadline are "very minimal" and that these superficial changes do not satisfy him, and in this situation, the U.S. will exit the JCPOA. The Prime Minister noted that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, General James Mattis, Secretary of Defense, General Herbert McMaster, National Security Advisor, and John Kelly, Chief of Staff at the White House, were also present at this working meeting. Channel 10 referenced "two senior officials knowledgeable about the Prime Minister's negotiations with the U.S. President" without naming them; the Israeli Prime Minister's office did not deny the report but did not provide further details. According to this report, Trump told the Israeli Prime Minister that he does not accept "cosmetic changes" to the agreement and adding amendments to it, but rather the essence of the JCPOA must change, and if this does not happen, the U.S. will withdraw from the agreement. The four-month deadline set by the U.S. President two months ago for making four specific changes to the JCPOA ends on May 11, 2018. Trump has repeatedly called the JCPOA in its current form a "disaster" and "the worst deal he has ever seen" and has warned of resuming sanctions against Tehran. This week, Donald Trump emphasized that his disagreement with Rex Tillerson over the JCPOA was one of the reasons for Tillerson's dismissal, and he later criticized the JCPOA and the Islamic Republic of Iran in a speech in California, expressing strong grievances about the Obama administration sending billions of dollars in cash to Iran under the JCPOA. Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, said last week in a speech at the AIPAC conference, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee in Washington, in the presence of Benjamin Netanyahu, "The last chance given to Iran will not be repeated." Benjamin Netanyahu also stated in his speech at AIPAC and other working programs during his recent trip to the U.S. that if the JCPOA does not undergo "fundamental changes, it is better to cancel it." Representatives from the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany gathered on Thursday, March 14, in Rome, the capital of Italy, to continue negotiations to implement the U.S. President's demands. However, according to Channel 10, Germany, France, and Britain believe they will not be able to convince the U.S. to remain in the JCPOA, and this negotiation is "a lost cause," but despite this, they are making their last efforts to keep the U.S. in the JCPOA. The report adds that the "only progress" made in the last two months of negotiations in Berlin and Rome between the U.S. and Britain, France, and Germany is the agreement of the four countries to impose sanctions on Iran due to the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program. Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, who was the chief negotiator for Iran during the nuclear negotiations with world powers, said on Thursday that if the U.S. exits the JCPOA, Iran will also not remain in this agreement. Mr. Araqchi emphasized that Iran rejects negotiations over the essence of the JCPOA and adding amendments to it. While the Israeli Prime Minister considers the U.S. exit from the JCPOA a "very strong possibility," he also welcomed this week the appointment of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, replacing Rex Tillerson, stating he is confident that he and Mr. Pompeo will work effectively together on important issues for the U.S. and Israel. Netanyahu's implicit reference includes his shared views with Mr. Pompeo in opposing the JCPOA and criticizing the previous U.S. administration regarding Iran. Mr. Pompeo has previously expressed "deep appreciation" for the Israeli Prime Minister's efforts to "prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."