Reuters: European Leaders Reiterate Commitment to JCPOA

Continuing their support for the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, Reuters reported on Thursday, October 19, that European leaders intend to reaffirm their commitment to this agreement. According to a draft statement seen by the news agency, EU leaders are set to emphasize their adherence to the JCPOA following their meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Reuters reports that the current position of the Trump administration in the United States will not undermine this commitment. The U.S. President, who has always been a staunch opponent of the nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama was a key architect of, ended several days of speculation on Friday, October 13, and expressed doubt about Iran's compliance with the agreement. Mr. Trump stated that "based on reliable information he has received, he is unable to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement." With his announcement of non-certification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. Congress now has 60 days to decide whether to continue the agreement or impose new sanctions on Iran. As this two-month deadline begins, supporters of the JCPOA are working hard to emphasize its effectiveness to ensure that a potential U.S. withdrawal from the agreement will not nullify it. In this context, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, announced earlier this week that she will travel to Washington in the coming weeks to encourage U.S. lawmakers not to withdraw from the agreement. Additionally, several former foreign ministers, from the U.S. to Egypt and Israel, published an open letter to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, emphasizing that there is no reason for the U.S. to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran and calling for continued U.S. commitment to the JCPOA. Now, EU leaders say they will remain committed to this agreement. However, as Reuters reports, these leaders do not want to "completely alienate Washington" and are thus considering ways to criticize Iran's missile program while defending the JCPOA. High-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have repeatedly indicated that Iran's insistence on testing ballistic missiles is, in fact, not in line with the "spirit of the JCPOA." Earlier, on the previous Monday, the EU had issued a statement reaffirming its support for maintaining the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, while also deeming Trump's announcement of Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA as an internal U.S. matter. However, according to Reuters, the EU is now in the "early stages" of choosing a way to criticize Iran in two areas: missile testing and Iran's role in the Middle East.