U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on April 19 sharply criticized the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying it "only delays their goal of becoming a nuclear state" and does not address "alarming ongoing provocations" by Iran in the Middle East. "We could be wrong".
The Iran nuclear deal is a awful one for the United States and the world.
Tillerson's harshest comments to date on Iran came one day after he appeared to take a softer approach by certifying that Tehran has complied with the nuclear deal in a notice to Congress that also extended the deal's sanctions relief for Tehran.
His tough words matched those of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who said in a visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that Iran's destabilizing influence would have to be overcome to end the conflict in Yemen.
While many are understandably interpreting Tuesday night's move as evidence that the Trump administration will respect the JCPOA, that might be reading too much into it: the State Department was clear that the administration is in the process of reviewing the nuclear accord, including whether it lies within USA interests to continue the JCPOA's lifting of sanctions. During last year's presidential campaign, he called for dismantling or renegotiating it. Republicans in Congress also have been critical, advocating new sanctions on Iran for supporting terrorism and for its ballistic missile program.
When Spicer was questioned whether Trump was concerned Iran was cheating on the deal, he said "That's why he's asking for this review".
While Iran has repeatedly said it is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons, Tillerson said Iran's "nuclear ambitions are a threat to the world's peace and security..." "There would have been no way to get a deal if we lumped in everything else we don't like about Iran".
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The deal's critics, though, say it fails to achieve even that goal because key restrictions on Iran's nuclear development sunset after a decade or more.
"Everywhere you look if there is trouble in the region, you find Iran", Mattis told reporters in Riyadh, after meeting senior Saudi officials.
However, Tillerson's letter was in line with many other assessments that have found Iran has kept its part of the bargain.
"It would more isolate the United States than it would isolate Iran", he said, noting that other world powers are party to the deal. "We just don't see that that's a credible way to be dealing with Iran". White House press secretary described the attention as a sign that Trump believes there are problems with the deal. "If he didn't, if he thought everything was fine, he would have allowed this to move forward".
Tillerson's statement also coincided with Defense Secretary James Mattis' visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met Wednesday with Saudi leaders to discuss plans for stabilizing conflicts in the Middle East. Mattis told reporters that Iran is a foremost concern for the usa and Saudi Arabia alike. "So, right now, what we are seeing is the nations in the region and others elsewhere trying to checkmate Iran and the amount of disruption, the amount of instability they can cause".
Since the pact was signed, Pompeo said, "The list of Iranian transgressions has increased dramatically".
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