Tillerson Reports on Discussions Regarding U.S. Remaining in the JCPOA

Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated on Friday that consultations between the White House and Congress members are ongoing to potentially keep Washington in the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA. In an interview with the Associated Press, he mentioned that President Donald Trump has indicated he will either amend the agreement or withdraw from it. We are currently in the process of fulfilling his promise regarding the amendment of this agreement. Tillerson's comments come as Trump must announce his administration's position on whether the U.S. will remain in the JCPOA by January 12 (one week from now). On October 13, Trump refused to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal reached in July 2015 with world powers, putting the ball in Congress's court to decide on reinstating sanctions against Iran. However, Congress has not made a decision on this matter, and now the President must declare on January 12 and 13 whether Iran has adhered to the nuclear agreement. If the U.S. certifies the JCPOA, it would imply that Iran has complied with its commitments under the nuclear agreement with the six world powers. Nevertheless, Tillerson stated that consultations between the White House and American lawmakers are ongoing and have not yet been finalized. The Secretary of State emphasized that the administration is 'actively' engaging with congressional leaders on this issue. Tillerson remarked, 'I do not want to say that we have reached a final decision yet.' However, he clarified that if Congress makes a swift decision, Trump is prepared to act on lifting nuclear sanctions. The Associated Press, however, notes that it seems unlikely that Congress and the White House will reach an agreement in this timeframe. Reports indicate that two U.S. senators and officials from Trump's administration met at the White House on Thursday to reach an agreement on a plan that would maintain the nuclear deal while intensifying restrictions on Tehran. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the committee, met on Thursday evening with General H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security advisor, to discuss this matter. According to the Associated Press, one option on the table is for Congress to pass a law removing the requirement for the White House to certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA every 90 days.