U.S. National Security Advisor: The JCPOA Gave All Concessions to Iran

General Herbert McMaster, the National Security Advisor at the White House, reiterated the position of the U.S. President, calling the JCPOA the "worst deal" possible. In an interview with ABC on Sunday, September 17, he responded to a question about the Iran nuclear agreement, stating, "As the President said, this is the worst deal. It has given all the benefits to the Iranian regime in advance." McMaster accused Iran of destabilizing the region and claimed, "We know that Iran has violated parts of the agreement." He also suggested that Iran might secretly be pursuing nuclear bomb production. McMaster accused Iran of continuing a cycle of violence with groups like ISIS and al-Nusra Front to keep Arab countries weak. According to a law passed by Congress in 2015, the U.S. government must report every 90 days to lawmakers on Iran's compliance or non-compliance with the JCPOA. The Trump administration has confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA twice so far. In October, the U.S. government will once again have to announce its stance on the JCPOA. After this report, Congress has 60 days to either keep the nuclear sanctions on Iran suspended or reinstate them. On Thursday, Donald Trump reiterated that the JCPOA has been the worst deal he has ever seen. Trump accused Iran of violating "many different components" of the agreement and also stated that the "spirit of the agreement" has been trampled. Despite Trump's claims, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors the implementation of the agreement, has so far confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. Meanwhile, other members of the P5+1 group have urged the U.S. not to withdraw from the agreement. The U.S. is also demanding that Iran halt its ballistic missile program, which it considers a violation of the JCPOA, but Iran claims it is not prohibited from conducting missile activities according to the UN Security Council resolution. On Sunday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, warned that if the U.S. violates the JCPOA, it will face a reaction from Iran. In addition to the JCPOA, Trump has opposed a list of trade and political agreements, calling for renegotiation or cancellation of them. The Paris Climate Agreement, NAFTA, trade with China and Mexico, NATO funding, UN funding, and relations with Cuba are among the topics Trump has called for a review of. In this context, the Iranian leader's warning regarding the JCPOA states, "We will respond to any wrong move." Israel has complained about the "delay of the agency in visiting suspicious nuclear sites in Iran." Rouhani emphasized the "benefit of the JCPOA for global stability" before his trip to New York, stating that Europeans should send a clear message to the U.S. about the JCPOA.