22 European security experts urge US to return to JCPOA on exit anniversary

Almost two dozen European security experts have called on the United States to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in the wake of Tehran’s suspension of some of its commitments under the accord in reciprocation for Washington's withdrawal last year.

In a statement carried by LobeLog on Wednesday, the 22 experts outlined the “harmful” effects of US President Donald Trump’s decision last May to abandon the multilateral agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The US’s pullout from the JCPOA “undercut global non-proliferation efforts,” they said, warning that the Islamic Republic’s resumption of certain nuclear activities “would leave only far weaker mechanisms for monitoring its work” and might tempt other states – notably Saudi Arabia – to “engage in a regional nuclear arms race.”

On the first anniversary of Washington’s unilateral exit from the JCPOA, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that the country would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water for a 60-day period, during which the remaining signatories would have to honor their promises and ensure that Iran is no more deprived of the economic benefits it was promised under the accord.

Tehran said the measures are not in violation of the JCPOA and are meant to restore the balance between its rights and obligations under the deal.

Elsewhere in their statement, European security experts complained that Trump’s approach to the nuclear agreement “undermined the value of multilateral diplomacy.”

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China, France, and Russia react shortly after Iran suspends some of its commitments under a nuclear deal in reciprocation for the withdrawal of the US last year.

“The JCPOA is a significant instance of effective multilateralism and successful diplomacy, involving countries with very different foreign policy outlooks such as the US and its European allies, Russia and China, and Iran itself. Whereas sanctions coupled with dialogue have proved to be effective in several international crises, the US choice of ‘maximum pressure’ over compromise devalues diplomacy as an effective way to address international disputes among rival states,” they added.

The experts also stressed that America’s scrapping of the JCPOA “weakened international law and institutions” since the deal derives its legitimacy from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its authority from United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

“By reneging on US commitments without proper cause, Washington has conveyed the message that international obligations can be disposed of at will,” they said.

They further criticized Trump for showing “utter disregard for Europe’s foreign policy interests,” eroding “trust in the transatlantic partnership,” inflicting “undue pain on the Iranian population” and “exacerbating regional tensions.”

“The deal is too important to be allowed to die. Although all remaining parties to the JCPOA say they are committed to the agreement, current efforts to sustain it have not been enough to guarantee its survival,” the experts said.

They also called on the supporters of the Iran deal to increase coordination to salvage the landmark agreement.

“Most importantly, JCPOA supporters in Europe and elsewhere should re-articulate the merits of the agreement to various US audiences — in the administration, Congress, the expert community and media — so it is clear that the only way to reap the full benefits of the JCPOA and build upon it is for the US to rejoin it,” they said.

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