The U.S."Withdrawal"Destroys Implementation of the Iran Nuclear Agreement

By Gao Shi and Huang Peizhao,People’s Daily

U.S.President Trump announced on May 8th that the United States would unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iran Nuclear Issue and restart sanctions against Iran.Countries such as China,Russia,Britain,France and Germany,etc.as well as International organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union,all expressed regret about the U.S.decision and hope to maintain the Agreement and the integrity and seriousness of the Agreement.Iranian President Rouhani said May 8th that Iran will remain in the Iran Nuclear Agreement for the time being and will consult with other parties in the Agreement.According to the analysis,the U.S."withdrawal from the group"has destroyed the international unified action to fully implement the Iran Nuclear Agreement,and the prospect of the Iranian nuclear issue faces more uncertainties.

The United States will re-impose the sanctions after the transition period

President Trump delivered a televised speech at the White House on 8th,accusing the Iran Nuclear Agreement of being a"bad"agreement,with flaws in its core contents.He said that the Agreement failed to limit the development of Iran's ballistic missile program,and Iran's"insecure activities"in the Middle East,and the"sunset clause"on the Iranian side to resume uranium enrichment after the agreement failure was also unacceptable.After the speech,Trump signed a presidential memorandum to restart the U.S.sanctions against the Iran Government.

The U.S.Treasury said the sanctions would be re-imposed after the 90-and 180-day transition periods,and the two transition periods are set up for the existing commercial agreements of the United States and the Allies to gradually step out,and more importantly for allowing the European allies and Iran to support a potential new agreement,which will be aimed to curb the Iran's nuclear weapons development and other hostile activities that the U.S.government believes so.

Concerning the Trump's decision,former U.S.President Obama,former Vice President Biden and former Secretary of State Kerrey expressed their opposition at the primary time.Obama said in a statement that the United States became more secure after signing the Iran Nuclear Agreement.It is a serious mistake to withdraw from the Agreement under the circumstances that the Agreement is not violated by Iran,which will greatly damage the international reputation of the United States.Kerrey has been making efforts to save the Agreement recently.He said the Trump’s move is not in the national interests of the United States.

The Trump's decision intensified the bipartisan differences in the United States and is strongly criticized by the Democrats.Senate Democratic Party leader Dick Durbin said that President Trump's decision is a historic mistake and will destroy the stability of the entire Middle East.Nancy Pelosi,the Democratic leader of the U.S.House of Representatives,said Trump's decision is dangerous and impulsive,completely ignoring the reality that the Iran Nuclear Agreement is playing a role.

The international community is generally opposed to the U.S.withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on the 9 that China regrets at the U.S.'s withdrawal from the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran Nuclear Issue,appeals to all parties concerned to adhere to the direction of political and diplomatic solutions,properly control differences and return soon possible to the track of continuing to carry out the comprehensive agreement.Geng said that the Iran Nuclear Agreementis a multilateral agreement negotiated jointly by six countries and the European Union together with Iran.All parties should conscientiously implement and maintain the integrity and seriousness of the comprehensive agreement.This is conducive to safeguarding the international nuclear non-proliferation system and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East,and also demonstrates the significance of solving a hot issue through political means.

The Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the 8th that Russia Is"deeply disappointed"with the U.S.unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian Nuclear Agreement and resumption of sanctions against Iran.It said that the Iran Nuclear Agreement has proved its effectiveness in the implementation process,and the United States has no reason to undermine the Agreement,and that Russia is willing to continue to interact with other parties in the Iran Nuclear Agreement and will continue to carry out active cooperation with Iran.

French President Macron,British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Merkel issued a joint statement on the 8th,expressing their regrets at the U.S.President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Agreement and promising that France,Britain and Germany will stay with the Iran Nuclear Agreement.The leaders of the three countries called on all relevant parties to continue their efforts to fully implement this Agreement,and to take actions in a responsible spirit.

UN Secretary General Guterres issued a statement on the 8th expressing serious concerns about the Trump’s announcement on the same day that the United States will withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Agreement and restart sanctions against Iran;urging all other participants of the Iran Nuclear Agreement to"fully keep their respective commitments"and urging other UN member states to support the Agreement.

Mogherini,senior representative of the EU's foreign policy and security policy,said on the 8th that the EU will continue to support the Iran Nuclear Agreement.She believes that the Iran Nuclear Agreement is "one of the greatest achievements of the international community".In the future,as long as Iran continues to abide by its commitments and ensures that it does not develop its own nuclear weapons,then EU will continue to support the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Yukiya Amano,director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,issued a statement on the 9th saying that Iran is accepting strict verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency.So far,the Agency is convinced that Iran has been implementing the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran Nuclear Issue as required,and will closely monitor developments in the Iranian Nuclear Agreement.

Iranian President Rouhani said on the 8th that from this moment,the Iranian Nuclear Agreement has become the Agreement between Iran and the other five parties,and that in future consultations,the Iran Atomic Energy Organization will reactivate"any level" of uranium enrichment if the agreement-stipulated Iran’s interests is not maintained.

American withdrawal will exacerbate the risk of geopolitical conflicts

The analysis generally believed that the U.S.withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement would increase the cracks between the United States and its European allies,meanwhile aggravate the risk of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.

The American CNN's analysis said that even if America's withdrawal does not lead to Iran's reopening of its nuclear program,Trump's decision could have explosive consequences that could strain the relationship between the United States and its long-standing allies,undermine the globaloil market and exacerbate the tension in the Middle East,as well as spike the credibility of the United States in future negotiations.In addition,Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement(TPP)has infuriated the U.S.'s strongest allies,leaving Trump further isolated on the global stage.

Mogherini said that the EU is deeply concerned about the new U.S.sanctions against Iran.The EU will consult with all partners concerned and assess its impact in the coming time,and the EU has repeatedly reaffirmed that the abolition of relevant sanctions will not only positively affect the economic and trade of Iran,but the most important thing is to make it unfavorable for the people of Iran to enjoy benefits,the EU will resolutely safeguard its security interests and protect its economic investment in Iran in accordance with the law.

The New York Times commented that Trump is carrying out a highly risky experiment.Without the acceptance of the European allies of the United States to restart the negotiations,Trump withdrew directly from the Agreement,which would undermine the global balance of power and weaken the global influence of the U.S.Government.

The Washington Post said that Trump's decision could exacerbate tensions with American allies who recently lobbied inside the United States.And Trump's next question is whether there is any plan to continue negotiations with Iran after its withdrawal from the Agreement.This is related to whether the Trump Administration has a coherent Middle East strategy,otherwise the decision will be reduced to"objection for its own sake".

Chuck Schumer,the minority leader of the Senate,said that we are unable to see a future clear-cut strategy of the Trump Administration to answer this question.