The Guardian: Britain, Germany, and France Will Violate the JCPOA for the First Time

The Guardian reported that Britain, Germany, and France will violate the JCPOA for the first time by refusing to lift sanctions related to the Islamic Republic's missile activities in October. According to the Guardian, the justification for this action by the European troika is Iran's violation of the agreement, the sale of drones to Russia during Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and the potential sale of ballistic missiles to Russia. The JCPOA includes a series of so-called sunset clauses under which a number of Western sanctions were to be lifted. However, when the JCPOA was signed, it was not anticipated that this agreement would be violated to such a wide extent. The uranium enrichment ceiling for Iran was set at 3.67 percent under the JCPOA, but the Islamic Republic is currently enriching uranium to 60 percent. According to a UN resolution, European sanctions against Iran are set to expire on October 18 of this year. These sanctions required the Islamic Republic not to engage in activities related to the development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Under these sanctions, no one is allowed to buy, sell, or transfer drones and their components to Iran without prior permission from the UN Security Council. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated recently that the JCPOA is currently in a 'very bad state' and is practically an 'empty shell,' with no diplomatic activities occurring around it, even though no one has officially declared its end. Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated last week regarding the agreement with Iran that 'while we still seek to find diplomatic pathways, there is no agreement in sight.' He also mentioned that Washington judges the Islamic Republic based on its actions. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, came to power with hopes of returning to the JCPOA that Donald Trump had canceled. However, the nuclear negotiations mediated by the European Union have failed, and the widespread protests and crackdowns in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 'morality police' custody have increasingly made Washington hesitant to reach an agreement with the ruling clerics in Iran. The U.S. is focused on 'containing the destabilizing behavior' of the Islamic Republic through 'diplomatic pressure.' A bipartisan letter from lawmakers to Biden urged an increase in efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program. The Islamic Republic's reaction to the potential permanence of sanctions is that it would be fruitless. American senators have urged Biden to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while Netanyahu stated that Israel opposes 'more limited understandings' regarding Iran's nuclear program.