Global Geopolitical Series: Iran hints at continuing with JCPOA without U.S. if others remain committed

President Trump has tweeted yesterday that he would announce the much-awaited decision on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) better known as the Iran nuclear agreement from the White House at 2 pm. In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as Iran nuclear agreement with the United States and other five world powers; Russia, China, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

President Trump has been a fierce critique of the JCPOA and in October he refused to certify Iran’s compliance with the agreement and in January, when he signed the sanctions waiver on Iran, it was informed that the President, who needs to sign the waiver every 120 days, is signing it for the last time, which gave the concerned parties a 120-day window to re-negotiate the deal or parts of it. All other partners to the agreement have urged President Trump to keep signing the waiver. However, in January Trump signaled that he was signing the waiver for the last time unless American concerns are addressed.

Though Iran has signaled in the past that it would end the agreement if the U.S. sanctions are re-imposed, the latest comments from the country’s President Hassan Rouhani suggested that Iran might continue with the JCPOA if all other parties excluding the United States maintain their commitments to the agreement in full. Rouhani was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying, “We have our own plan. Either what we demand from the JCPOA is fulfilled by the non-American parties, and in that case, the US withdrawal will be the removal of a trouble, or we will resort to our legal and rational option… if what we expect is not fully accomplished".

Though all relevant parties have reiterated their support for JCPOA, it is not clear whether they would continue with the agreement if the United States move out and sanctions are re-imposed.