Trump: US stays in Iran nuclear deal, provided Congress addresses flaws

US President Donald Trump, unveiling his strategy for Iran’s “tyrannical,” “extremist”  “rogue regime,” said  Friday that he would not re-certify its compliance with the nuclear accord, because of its multiple flaws, but would be free to unilaterally pull the US out of the Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at any time, if those flaws were not corrected by Congress and US allies. “We are determined that the world’s leading sponsor of terror will never achieve nuclear weapons,“ he said.

He announced the following steps:

  1. Action to counter Iran’s destabilizing operations in the Mid-East and outside.
  2. More sanctions to block its terrorist activities.
  3. Addressing its missile and other threats to international navigation.
  4. Tough sanctions for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), “the corrupt arm of the supreme leader,” which has hijacked Iran’s financial assets to foment terror and supply proxies with weapons. Those further sanctions will apply to the entire IRGC, its officials, agents and proxies. He urged US allies to join in this step.
  5. Sanctions will also target Iran’s ballistic missile program and “all its destructive activities.”

Among Iran’s direct violations of the accord, Trump cited production in excess of 130 metric tons of heavy water, failure to meet commitments on advanced centrifuges, and “intimidating international nuclear inspectors,” who were not allowed to visit military sites suspected of clandestine nuclear weapons activities. He also ordered a review by US intelligence of Iran’s dealings with North Korea.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Comments containing incitement, libel or offensive language are barred under DEBKAfile’s regulations

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *