Senator Corker: The U.S. is likely to withdraw from the JCPOA in May

Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced the possibility of the country withdrawing from the JCPOA by May. Corker, a Republican senator, stated in an interview with CBS on Sunday, March 18, that "it does not seem that the Trump administration is inclined to extend the JCPOA." He further remarked, "I think the President will likely withdraw from the JCPOA unless our European counterparts provide a real framework, and I do not feel they will do that." When asked if he believes Donald Trump will exit the agreement with Iran on May 12, Corker replied, "Yes, yes." While former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson supported remaining in the JCPOA, Mark Pompeo, Trump's nominee for the position, is a serious critic of the agreement. According to Reuters, Britain, France, and Germany have drafted new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program to persuade the U.S. not to withdraw from the JCPOA. On January 12, Trump issued an ultimatum to the Europeans to either fix the JCPOA or he would not sign the continuation of U.S. sanctions relief. Under U.S. congressional legislation, the President must sign the suspension of sanctions every three months, with the next deadline being May 12, 2018. Trump has called the JCPOA the "worst" deal he has ever seen, pledging that the U.S. would exit the agreement. Meanwhile, Iran has rejected renegotiating the JCPOA and adding issues outside of it. Iran has stated that if the U.S. withdraws, it will act according to the provisions outlined in the JCPOA. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated this week, "If the U.S. makes the mistake of exiting the JCPOA, it will certainly be a painful mistake for them." Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union have opposed the U.S. government's stance, stating that other issues, such as the missile program, should not be linked to the nuclear agreement. These countries have also rejected renegotiating the JCPOA. However, European countries have expressed concern over Iran's ballistic missile program. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA in its quarterly reports. The U.S. is also seeking to eliminate the sunset clause in the JCPOA. According to the "sunset clause," Iran can increase its enrichment centrifuges after ten years and is allowed to increase its stockpile of less enriched uranium after fifteen years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump to take action regarding the "sunset clause" during a meeting in September 2017. Netanyahu, who traveled to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, emphasized that Israel seeks to remove problematic provisions of the JCPOA, whether through amendments or elimination.