White House: If the JCPOA is not amended, the U.S. is ready to withdraw from the agreement

On Monday, April 6, the Deputy Spokesman of the White House referred to the U.S. President's stance on the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, warning that if the changes desired by Donald Trump are not implemented, the U.S. is prepared to withdraw from the JCPOA. Raj Shah, the Deputy Spokesman, stated that Donald Trump's opinion about the nuclear deal with Iran has always been that it is one of the worst international agreements in U.S. history. The Deputy Spokesman added that Trump insists on changes to the agreement both at the congressional level and in cooperation with Congress and European allies, and if these changes are not made, the President (Trump) is prepared to potentially withdraw from the agreement. Two months ago, Donald Trump set a deadline for addressing the deficiencies and flaws he identified in the JCPOA, threatening that without rectifying these deficiencies, he would not extend the lifting of sanctions on Iran and would withdraw from the nuclear agreement. This deadline ends on May 12, 2018. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Iran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against it. Under this agreement, the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of nuclear sanctions against the country. In this context, it has been previously reported that Britain, France, and Germany have proposed new European sanctions against Iran to convince the U.S. to maintain the nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday during a meeting with the foreign ministers of France and Germany that if Europe does not act decisively with Iran and does not lead to a fundamental change in the JCPOA, Trump's decision to exit the nuclear agreement with Tehran is serious. The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that if the JCPOA does not undergo fundamental changes, 'it is better that it be canceled.' Donald Trump has set four conditions for the U.S. to continue its participation in the JCPOA, which include: 'immediate access' for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, guarantees against approaching nuclear weapons, and limitations on Iran's long-range missile program; as Trump stated, the long-range missile program and Iran's nuclear weapons program are 'inseparable.' Meanwhile, Islamic Republic officials have rejected any revision of the nuclear agreement.