Trump Decision On Iran Deal Coming Soon; Here is Why America Should Remain Committed to It

By May 12th, President Trump must decide whether to remain in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama and representatives of the UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany. The deal was crafted to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and the Trump administration has repeatedly certified that Iran has lived up to its obligations under the agreement.

However, Trump has said he will withdraw from the JCPOA and reimpose US nuclear-related sanctions against Iran unless they agree to renegotiate parts of the deal. And since that statement, Trump has named Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and John Bolton as his National Security Adviser. Both are neoconservatives, long opposed to the deal. Bolton has repeatedly attacked JCPOA and called for the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities. On April 12th, at his confirmation hearing, Pompeo acknowledged that Iran was in full compliance with its obligations under the JCPOA, but still refused to say whether America should stay committed to the agreement.

Withdrawing from the agreement serves no national security interest of the the United States. None. However, withdrawal would strengthen the hand of Iranian hardliners who believe that obtaining a nuclear weapon is the only way to prevent US interference in Iran's internal affairs. Moreover, any strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would move us closer to war with Iran, a war that would be much more treacherous than what we have faced in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The National Coalition to Prevent an Iranian Nuclear Weapon, including many of America's most distinguished foreign Policy experts, has produced a list of just some of the strongest arguments for remaining in the pact. You can read it here.

#iran