Pence: The Time for Real Changes in the JCPOA Has Arrived

Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, during his last day in Israel, stated that Washington is sending a message to its allies that the time for real changes in the nuclear agreement with Iran has come, and if they do not stand with us, President Trump has indicated that we will immediately withdraw from this agreement. Mr. Pence made these remarks on Tuesday, January 23, during a meeting with Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, on the third and final day of his official visit to Jerusalem. Part of the beginning of his meeting with the Israeli President was broadcast live on the country's state television. He reiterated that Donald Trump has extended the sanctions waiver for Iran 'for the last time' and has given an opportunity for serious changes in the nuclear agreement with Iran. On Monday, January 22, he also called the JCPOA a 'disaster' in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, stating that this agreement 'only delayed Iran's access to a nuclear bomb.' Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on January 12, gave Congress and other signatories of the nuclear agreement with Iran a four-month deadline to change this treaty based on four conditions he set. Mr. Trump has described the JCPOA, which was achieved during Barack Obama's presidency, as 'the worst deal I have ever seen' and believes that the previous U.S. administration neglected its duties in negotiating this agreement with five other global powers, endangering the interests of the U.S. and its allies. However, the Trump administration has so far adhered to the 120-day deadline for extending the suspension of sanctions resulting from this agreement three times. On January 12, Trump announced his readiness to cooperate in drafting a bipartisan resolution and outlined four components for Congress to sign off on, which include: 'demanding immediate inspections of all facilities requested by international inspectors in Iran; ensuring that Iran does not approach nuclear weapons; making the limitations on Iran in the nuclear agreement permanent; and finally that Tehran's ballistic missile program and nuclear weapons are inseparable.' According to reports, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, said alongside Mr. Pence on Monday night: 'Superficial changes in the JCPOA are not enough, and if the expected real changes in this agreement are not made, Israel will support the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the imposition of crippling sanctions against Iran.' The term 'crippling sanctions' in relation to Iran, which Mr. Netanyahu used before the JCPOA, has been repeated by him for the first time after the agreement; he had previously called for a complete ban on Iranian oil sales. In recent days, Mr. Netanyahu has told several European leaders in phone calls and in a speech to Israeli ambassadors around the world at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem that Europe should take the U.S. warning about withdrawing from the JCPOA 'seriously.' Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, who has traveled to Europe to negotiate with his European counterparts, announced on Monday after meeting with Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, in London, the formation of a working group to explore ways to make serious changes to the JCPOA. This comes as Iran reiterated on Tuesday that the JCPOA is not up for renegotiation. According to Iranian officials, 'revising the JCPOA is impossible, and any amendment to it is considered a violation of this agreement.' Meanwhile, what the U.S. and Israel refer to as 'Iran's regional threats' was another significant part of Mr. Pence's discussions with Israeli leaders during his first official visit to the country. The U.S. Vice President stated in his meeting with the Israeli President that Washington stands with Israel against terrorist threats from the regime that is the leader of terrorist threats, namely Iran. According to Israeli state television, the President of Israel asked Herzl Levy, the head of the Israeli military intelligence, to inform Mike Pence of the latest assessment of the situation in Gaza and Syria and 'Iran's efforts to stabilize its military presence in Syria.' On Monday evening, the U.S. Vice President also stated at a dinner alongside the Israeli Prime Minister: 'Jordan and Egypt, two countries that have peace treaties with Israel, understand that Iran is a common threat.' Mr. Pence referred to his meetings with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of Egypt, and King Abdullah II of Jordan, in Cairo and Amman. 'The doors for Middle East peace negotiations are open to the Palestinians.' Before leaving Israel, the U.S. Vice President reiterated that at Donald Trump's direction, the U.S. embassy in Israel will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before the end of 2019, the next calendar year. Mike Pence added in his meeting with the Israeli President: 'The President's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is the clearest indication of America's commitment to Israel.' Meanwhile, according to Mr. Pence, the U.S. decision regarding Jerusalem 'provides a serious opportunity to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations for lasting peace.' He told the Israeli President: 'We also told the leaders of Egypt and Jordan that the doors for peace negotiations are open to the Palestinians... The White House has set a timeline for peace that depends on when the Palestinians return to negotiations.' Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, also told Mike Pence: 'Unfortunately, there is no longer trust between us and the Palestinians, but we and the Palestinians have no choice but to continue efforts to build trust and live alongside each other.' The Palestinians, whom the U.S. claims to continue efforts for peace between them and Israel, have called Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital a 'slap of the century' and stated that they no longer accept Washington as a mediator in the peace process. Mahmoud Abbas, on Monday, during a meeting with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, called for the EU to 'immediately' recognize East Jerusalem as the 'capital of Palestine.' According to Reuters, Ms. Mogherini, despite supporting the Palestinian cause for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, effectively ignored Mr. Abbas's request, and two senior EU officials told the news agency that the Union would not respond positively to this demand. Europe says this recognition should be part of a final peace agreement.