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US Congress undermining confidence of JCPOA signatories: Expert

Tuesday, 06 December 2016 6:59 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 06 December 2016 6:59 PM ]

This file photo taken on January 12, 2016 shows US President Barack Obama delivering the State of the Union Address during a Joint Session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has warned that an Iranian committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of a nuclear agreement with six world powers will decide on how to respond to the US Congress’ recent extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). The sanctions law, which would authorize the US president to re-impose sanctions on Iran, was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program and its support for anti-Israeli resistance groups. The ISA now needs US President Barack Obama’s signature to turn into law.

Roozbeh Aliabadi, managing partner of the Global Growth Advisors from New York, told Press TV’s Top 5 that the extension of ISA for a 10 year-period is undermining the confidence of other signatories of the nuclear deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“This was a multilateral deal, it was done and it was between P5+1 group,” Aliabadi said, warning that “anything that’s happening whether with the Congress or the executive branch – the White House – or the President-elect [Donald] Trump will be undermining the confidence of Iran and other members that have agreed after almost two years of tough negotiations on this particular issue.”

“What the US Congress is doing today within domestic politics is apparently undermining the nuclear deal, but really undermining the confidence that the P5+1 and international community are building or have thought that they’re building on US perception in terms of conducting diplomacy,” he argued.

He added that the signatories to the nuclear deal are privately “voicing their concerns, but as president-elect goes to the White House, we will see more overt or more public objection to any type of undermining” the nuclear accord.

Under the JCPOA, which was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany in Vienna in July 2015 and entered into force in January, Tehran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of all nuclear-related bans imposed against it.

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