Trump Advisor: There Are Multiple Ways to Amend or Cancel the JCPOA

Walid Phares, foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump, states that the elected President of the United States does not favor the current form of the nuclear agreement with Iran. In an interview with the Ilaf website regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran, he said: "The nuclear agreement was signed by members of the United Nations Security Council, but the U.S. Congress, which is fundamentally opposed to this agreement, did not sign it. The current U.S. State Department has said that Trump has all options available. One response in this regard is that Trump does not want the nuclear agreement in its current form. However, we must wait for the new administration to take office and for the National Security Council to convene to determine the fate of the agreement." He continued: "There are solutions in international law and American law. We will see how the Trump administration will interact with this issue. However, there are multiple ways to amend or cancel the nuclear agreement. There is no need to listen to the Iranian regime that says this agreement has been signed. There are many agreements that have been signed but later changed." Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in the recent U.S. presidential election, had stated during his campaign at the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that his top priority after winning would be to cancel the Iran nuclear agreement. After Trump's victory was announced, Walid Phares, a Lebanese-born advisor to the elected President of the United States, stated in an interview with Sky News Arabia that Trump had previously indicated he was not fond of the nuclear agreement, saying: "The nuclear agreement will be changed to serve the interests of regional countries." Regarding Trump's relations with the Gulf Arab states, Phares said: "When the elected president takes office, he will restore alliance relations with the Gulf Arab states and return to a partnership similar to that during the terms of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush." He continued: "Trump will end the era that existed during the Obama administration and will meet with regional leaders both in the Gulf and in Washington. He will support the Gulf against two threats, one being radical ISIS and the other being Iran's interference in the affairs of the Gulf countries. In summary, relations may become stronger than they were during the Bush father and son administrations." Regarding the situation in Syria and Iraq, Trump's advisor said: "Barack Obama did not intervene in Syria and Iraq. The most he did was to provide air power to bomb ISIS and train forces fighting this group. He did not intervene to end the war and the bloodbath in Syria. In 2013, when chemical weapons were used, he set a red line and did not adhere to it. In Iraq, he did not act with the necessary speed to support minorities. As a result, the Yazidis were hit, and the Kurds were harmed. Moderate Shiites and Sunnis were at risk of massacre. All these atrocities that began in 2014 will not end in 2017." He continued: "Trump will inherit a disastrous situation. If he had become president in 2011 or 2012, the atrocities in Syria would not have continued to this day." Phares, referring to Trump's views on Iran's presence in Iraq and Syria, said: "He opposes Iran's military and intelligence intervention in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. However, what the Trump administration will do cannot be predicted at this time. We must wait for the government to form to see who will be in it, and then we can analyze. In any case, Mr. Trump opposes the current equation. He opposes the presence of the Revolutionary Guards and also jihadists throughout the region, and this situation must end." Trump's advisor, in response to a question about dialogue with Russia to resolve regional crises, said: "Certainly, there will be dialogue with Russia. It is not rational for two nuclear countries to have no contact with each other. There were contacts during the Cold War. However, this contact must be accompanied by firmness." He added: "For example, before Russia came to Syria with this level of military capability, the Obama administration should have ended the situation as it did in Libya. Despite Gaddafi's relations with Russia and Moscow's attempts to veto UN resolutions, there was a determination from NATO. In summary, Obama wanted to exit Iraq because of the agreement with Iran, and since this exit occurred before resolving the Syrian issue, the situation led to a devastating war, allowing Iran and Hezbollah to intervene." Walid Phares regarding Trump's potential policies in Syria said: "The Trump administration will do everything in its power, in cooperation with Arab countries, in areas outside the control of the Assad regime, and joint plans will be developed. However, Assad's areas are supported by Russia, and the situation has become similar to Germany during the Cold War. Therefore, dialogue with the Russians is necessary; a matter that may not please the Syrian opposition but there is no other solution." He continued: "If the situation in Kurdish areas and opposition areas is stabilized and extremists are driven out of these areas, Trump will have the support of American public opinion for the reconstruction of Syrian society. This is where he will engage in dialogue with Russia to achieve a political solution. If a deep understanding is reached between Moscow and Washington, he will ask Russia to pressure Iran and Hezbollah to leave Syria, and the international community will fight terrorism. More details remain for the future."