Tillerson: Progress Made in Gaining European Support for Sanctions Against Iran

On Monday, February 21, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that progress has been made in garnering European support for imposing tough new sanctions against Iran, which could prevent the United States from withdrawing from the JCPOA. After meetings with Prime Minister Theresa May, National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Tillerson announced that they agreed to form a working group of experts to address the 'flaws' in the nuclear agreement with Iran and six world powers from July 2015. President Donald Trump, a staunch opponent of the agreement, has said that if these flaws are not addressed, Washington will withdraw from the JCPOA. Tillerson, who is visiting London, told reporters after meeting with his British counterpart that he believes the European Troika has a common viewpoint that certain areas (in the nuclear agreement) or some of Iran's behaviors need to be addressed. The European Troika includes the UK, France, and Germany, which, along with the U.S., China, and Russia, were negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran over its nuclear program. Tillerson specifically pointed to Iran's ballistic missile program, which is not mentioned in the JCPOA, and clauses in the agreement that allow Iran to gradually resume its advanced nuclear activities. He stated that this working group will begin its work early next week to discuss how to address these issues 'through a potential additional agreement or a mechanism that responds to concerns.' Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Tillerson as saying that the U.S. intends to send a diplomatic delegation to Europe to discuss the nuclear agreement and counter Tehran's activities in the Middle East. He added that this delegation will examine 'how we can respond to the flaws in the nuclear agreement (with Iran)... while also exploring how we can cooperate more on countering Iran's activities that are unrelated to the nuclear agreement. Our concerns are about the export of weapons (by Iran) to Yemen and other areas.' Boris Johnson also stated that the UK is committed to working 'collectively' with its partners 'to contain those activities. We believe we can do this; I think we can do this together.' However, the British Foreign Secretary emphasized that 'it is important that we proceed in parallel and do not undermine the foundations of the Iranian nuclear agreement.' Tillerson is expected to convey a similar message to his French counterpart during his visit to Paris on Tuesday. Concurrently, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence described the nuclear agreement with Iran as 'disastrous' and stated that the Trump administration will no longer certify it. Pence assured members of the Israeli parliament that he promises Israel, the entire Middle East, and the world that the U.S. will never allow Iran to get close to a nuclear weapon. He asserted that the nuclear agreement with Iran is not certain, and in the coming months, the U.S. will withdraw from this agreement. The Iranian nuclear agreement led to the suspension of many of Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting or suspension of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. However, on January 12, Trump stated that he would extend the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time and gave Congress and European parties four months to address the 'disastrous flaws' of the JCPOA, or else the U.S. would withdraw from it. Trump announced his readiness to cooperate on drafting a bipartisan resolution, outlining four components for Congress to sign, which include: 'demanding immediate inspections of all facilities requested by international inspectors in Iran; ensuring Iran does not approach a nuclear weapon; making Iran's limitations in the nuclear agreement permanent; and finally, that Tehran's ballistic missile program and nuclear weapons are inseparable.' Iranian officials have recently rejected any discussions to change the JCPOA and emphasized that there will be no negotiations regarding Tehran's ballistic missile program. The UK, France, and Germany have expressed willingness to cooperate with the U.S. to prevent the collapse of the Iranian nuclear agreement. Among them, Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, reported on January 15 that EU members are consulting on how to respond to Donald Trump. A German publication also reported that Berlin is consulting with its European allies to impose new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran to prevent the U.S. from withdrawing from the JCPOA. Russia has also joined the recent disputes over the JCPOA, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warning on January 18 that if the U.S. exits the JCPOA, the Iranian nuclear agreement will not last. In this context, the European Union is 'carefully reviewing' Donald Trump's statements regarding the JCPOA. Iran has rejected negotiations regarding its ballistic missile program and the JCPOA. The UN Secretary-General stated that the Iranian nuclear agreement should not be disrupted due to unrelated issues. Haley stated that if the U.S. is to take the JCPOA seriously, other issues must also be taken seriously. Two U.S. lawmakers proposed changes to the nuclear agreement's provisions. Russia stated that with the U.S. exit from the JCPOA, this agreement will no longer last. Germany is discussing 'imposing new sanctions against Iran' with its European allies. The French Foreign Minister is set to visit Iran for discussions on regional issues and the JCPOA.