Trump Administration 'Likely' to Certify Iran's Compliance with JCPOA for Another 90 Days

The Donald Trump administration is 'likely' to certify Iran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for another period, although it will remain skeptical about Tehran's nuclear agreement. According to the agreement reached in July 2015 among six global powers, including the U.S., the U.S. State Department must inform Congress every 90 days whether Iran has adhered to the terms of the JCPOA. The Trump administration's deadline to notify Congress ends next Monday. The Trump administration had previously certified Iran's compliance with the agreement in April. According to Reuters, an unnamed U.S. official stated on Thursday, July 13, that Donald Trump can always change his mind about the agreement. During the 2016 election campaign, the U.S. President was a staunch critic of the agreement made by Barack Obama's administration with Iran, stating that if he came to power, he would tear it up. He said in March 2016 at the AIPAC conference, the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S., 'My number one priority is to dismantle this catastrophic deal with Iran.' Meanwhile, the 'Weekly Standard' reported on Thursday that the U.S. State Department has confirmed that Washington will remain 'committed' to the terms of the JCPOA, although it continues to review and finalize its policy towards Iran. A State Department spokesperson said in an email to the site: 'The Trump administration is currently conducting a comprehensive review of our policy towards Iran. Once our assessment is complete, we can respond more accurately and clearly to the challenges posed by Iran. The Trump administration has clearly indicated that at least until this review is completed, we will continue to adhere to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and ensure that Iran is held accountable for any violations of this agreement.' The recent decision by the U.S. government, which allows Iran to benefit from the JCPOA in terms of sanctions relief, comes after intense debates about the pros and cons of this agreement, just days after staunch opponents of the Iran deal in Congress called for its rejection by the Trump administration. Four Republican senators on Tuesday wrote a letter to Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, urging him to reject the Iran agreement. They wrote: 'We want you to not certify that the reduction of U.S. sanctions for Iran is in the interest of U.S. national security or that Iran has complied with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.' The signatories of this letter are Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and Ted Cruz. The senators further stated: 'In April, you certified Iran's compliance in the first 90-day period of the Trump administration. This certification was understandable and provided an opportunity for several organizations to review the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which you explained in a letter of certification sent to Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.' The letter continues: 'However, we are now approaching the end of another 90-day review period, and U.S. interests are best served by a vigilant response to Iran's violations of the JCPOA as well as the aggressive and destabilizing behavior of this regime.' The Weekly Standard reports that sources have informed them that a multi-agency review report on U.S. policy towards Iran, conducted by senior members of the National Security Council, will be ready by late summer this year. According to this site, the main dispute over Washington's certification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA will occur in the midst of the completion of the U.S. policy review and the next deadline for certifying the JCPOA, which is in mid-October. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed in Vienna, Austria, between Iran and six global powers including the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK along with Germany, Tehran halted many of its nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction or lifting of international sanctions against it.