White House Spokesperson: JCPOA Did Not Guarantee American Security

The White House spokesperson stated that the remarks by the U.S. Secretary of State regarding 'unprecedented pressures' on Iran reflect a new strategy by the U.S. government towards Tehran. Sarah Sanders tweeted on Tuesday, May 21, that 'the [nuclear] agreement with Iran was one of the worst deals in history and did not guarantee the security of Americans.' She continued that 'this is why President Donald Trump withdrew from it.' The spokesperson, without naming any specific media, said, 'The media said we have no plan regarding Iran. Wrong! Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, outlined our new strategy regarding Iran yesterday (Monday). The President will ensure that Iran has no way to obtain nuclear weapons.' On Monday, Mike Pompeo, during his first foreign policy speech, stated that his government would impose 'the toughest sanctions in history against Iran, and if the Iranian government does not change its behavior, the pressure of sanctions will increase.' Pompeo set '12 conditions' for negotiations and reaching a new agreement with Tehran. One day later, he stated that Washington's demands for Iran to change its behavior are 'not difficult requests,' and he is confident that the U.S. can achieve a common diplomatic approach with the European Union towards Tehran. Pompeo's remarks were welcomed by several U.S. allies, including the governments of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, while some other allies expressed criticisms or doubts. In this context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, 'We believe this policy is the only one that will ultimately guarantee stability and peace in the Middle East.' On the other hand, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that the nuclear agreement with Iran has no alternative and added, 'Pompeo did not specify how exiting the JCPOA has made the region safer regarding nuclear weapons proliferation or how it will better position us to influence Iran's actions outside the JCPOA framework.' Donald Trump has been a staunch critic of the nuclear agreement both during his electoral campaign and after assuming the presidency, repeatedly calling for reforms that would permanently prevent nuclear bomb production or halt Iran's missile program. Washington has strongly criticized Iran's actions in the region. Tehran has stated that it is not willing to renegotiate the JCPOA, asserting that its missile program, while under various arms sanctions, has defensive objectives. The Islamic Republic claims it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons. In a sharp reaction to Pompeo's remarks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described them as 'absurd,' 'meaningless,' 'brazen,' 'offensive,' and 'a sign of desperation and helplessness of U.S. officials.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also reacted to Pompeo's comments on Tuesday, stating, 'The Iranian nation has been victorious and proud in all historical scenes, and I say from here that Mr. Trump, this nation will be victorious and successful against you.' Europeans, who seek to maintain the JCPOA, have also aligned with the U.S. in criticizing Iran's ballistic missile program and its 'interventions' and 'destabilizing actions' in the region.