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Trump’s termination of Iran deal will harm US interests: Analyst

James Petras

US President Donald Trump’s plan to reimpose some sanctions against Iran is in violation of the nuclear agreement, a wildly unpopular policy that is supported only by Israel, an American writer and retired professor says.

A reimposition of sanctions by Washington against Tehran is wildly unpopular and will harm American interests, said James Petras, a professor emeritus of sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, and adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada.

“It’s a vey unpopular decision that Trump is contemplating; all of the European countries are opposed to Trump breaking the nuclear agreement with Iran,” Petras told Press TV on Thursday.

“The nuclear agreement with Iran is very favorable to the US,” he added.

Trump is expected to extend sanctions relief for Iran as part of a 2015 nuclear deal while his administration works out a “fix” to the multi-nation accord, American officials have revealed.

The US president, who has to make up his mind by Friday, is likely to accept recommendation from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and extend the waivers for three more months, The Associated Press reported Wednesday, citing its unnamed sources with the Trump administration.

The move goes against Trump’s desire to end his country’s involvement in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a landmark agreement between Iran and six world powers -- the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.

The deal puts limitations on parts of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in exchange for removing all nuclear-related sanctions.

According to the AP report, however, Trump is likely to introduce a new series of sanctions that would also include Iranian firms and individuals whose sanctions were scrapped under the JCPOA.

In October, Trump extended the relief but refused to certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, warning that he might ultimately terminate Washington’s participation in defiance of all the other signatories.

European powers reaffirmed on Thursday their support for the Iran nuclear deal that Trump has rejected.

Retired US military officers, members of the US Congress and former US ambassadors were among 52 US national security experts who signed a letter released on Monday urging Trump not to jeopardize the deal with Iran.


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