Tillerson: We Will Present Various Options Regarding Iran's Nuclear Agreement to Trump

Rex Tillerson stated that the U.S. State Department will provide several options for Donald Trump to decide on Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal ahead of the October 15 deadline. According to Reuters, the U.S. Secretary of State told reporters on Wednesday, October 4, "We will present proposals to the President. We are looking to provide him with several options regarding our approach to Iran." Tillerson did not provide details on the potential options and declined to directly answer whether he shares the same view as James Mattis, who stated on Tuesday to the Senate that Iran has "fundamentally" complied with the nuclear agreement. One Trump administration official said last month that the President is inclined not to certify Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement. Tillerson's announcement of presenting various options to the President comes after Trump had stated on September 20 in response to a question about whether he had made a decision regarding the nuclear deal: "I have made my decision and I will tell you what that decision is." However, he did not specify what that decision was. Trump has been a critic of the nuclear agreement made by Barack Obama's administration with Iran since his election campaign. He has called for renegotiation of the deal, a request that has faced opposition from Tehran. On September 28, during the UN General Assembly, the U.S. President again harshly criticized the agreement, calling it a "shameful" deal for the United States. Tillerson's remarks come a day after Defense Secretary James Mattis stated in a Senate committee Q&A that he supports U.S. remaining in the deal, provided Washington concludes that Iran is adhering to the nuclear agreement and that it is in American interests. Unlike Mattis, who publicly called for the Trump administration to support the nuclear agreement with Iran, Tillerson has been one of the main critics of the deal and has called for a review of it. He stated on Wednesday that regardless of what path the United States chooses regarding the nuclear deal, it is only a part of the broader U.S. policy towards Iran. The U.S. Secretary of State said, "The nuclear deal is only a small part of the broader issues we need to address when it comes to relations with Iran." Tillerson emphasized, "Therefore, this is an important part, but it is not the only part. I have repeatedly said that we cannot allow our relations with Iran to be defined solely by this agreement." European powers that support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and have extensive trade relations with Iran have urged the U.S. government not to withdraw from this international nuclear agreement. The agreement, signed in July 2015 by Iran and the P5+1 group, has largely limited Iran's nuclear activities while also leading to the lifting or suspension of international sanctions against Tehran. If the Trump administration does not certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA in its upcoming report, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose the sanctions that were lifted under the JCPOA. Reuters reports that the collapse of the JCPOA could fuel an arms race in the Middle East.