World

Watchdog: Trump's Decision to Exit From Iran Deal May Provoke Nuclear Crisis

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump’s reckless decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran will boost the odds of a nuclear standoff, Arms Control Association Nonproliferation Policy Director Kelsey Davenport told Sputnik.
Sputnik

"Trump's decision to violate the nuclear deal with Iran by reimposing sanctions is dangerous, irresponsible, and risks manufacturing a nuclear crisis that the international community cannot afford," Davenport said on Tuesday.

The agreement, Davenport added, was verifiably limiting Iran's nuclear program and there have been no Iranian violations of the accord.

"It will be critical that the remaining partners in the agreement — China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom — take immediate steps to shore up the accord, insulate legitimate business with Iran from US sanctions, and urge Iran to stay within the constraints of the deal," Davenport said.

John Kerry: Exit From Iran Deal Undermines Security, Isolates US From Europe
The Arms Control Association director said she was also concerned that Tehran may respond to Trump’s violation by "committing its own breach of the nuclear agreement."

On Tuesday, Trump announced his decision to pull the United States out of the JCPOA — a deal Iran signed with the P5+1 and EU in 2015 which requires Tehran to maintain a peaceful nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told Sputnik after Trump’s announcement that the US decision to withdraw from the JCPOA is a major setback to nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

The Arms Control Association, founded in 1971, is a national nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies.

Discuss