Can the Landmark JCPOA Be Saved?

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

There's virtually no chance of the US rejoining the JCPOA if Trump remains in office.

Despite Biden's vow to rejoin the landmark agreement, its fate is uncertain if he and Harris replace Trump in January.

Israel is heavily pressuring the US to kill the agreement.

Last month, Netanyahu in a public address delivered the following message to Biden/Harris:

"Do not return to the (JCPOA) nuclear deal." 

"We must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons (sic)."

Iran long ago banned their development. No evidence suggests a change of policy.

Israel is the region's only nuclear armed and dangerous nation — along with the US presence in a part of the world where it doesn't belong.

As long as its troops occupy Middle East countries, endless US wars by hot and other means will continue ad infinitum — threatening possible global war if its ruling regimes push things too far.

If adhered to by its signatories as agreed on, the JCPOA would represent an opportunity toward promoting stability in a hugely unstable part of the world.

Peace and stability worldwide are polar opposite what serves US imperial interests.

Despite becoming part of the JCPOA, the Obama/Biden regime breached it by imposing illegal sanctions on Iran — contravening its letter and spirit.

Will Biden/Harris act in similar fashion? Will their regime demand revisions to the agreement that Iran won't accept? 

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif time and again stressed that the JCPOA is "not renegotiable."

Last month, his spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the following:

"It would be naive to think that it is possible to renegotiate the JCPOA. The deal has been struck and sealed" — following years of negotiations.

"Iran has announced repeatedly that the JCPOA relates to the past and could not be discussed again or renegotiated."

"The parties to the JCPOA have different commitments, the most important of which has been the commitment to remove the sanctions". 

"Apart from the US' withdrawal, (E3 signatories Britain, France and Germany" failed to lift the sanctions as well."

Like the US, they breached the agreement they're mandated to uphold.

Unanimously adopted by Security Council members, it's binding international law in its current form.

As a condition for rejoining the JCPOA, the Biden/Harris regime will likely demand changes in breach of the deal — on the phony pretext of improving it — Iran won't accept.

E3 signatory countries are likely to follow suit — a prescription for killing the landmark agreement if their demands are unbending.

Commenting on this issue, Russia's permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the following:

"Some (Western sources) advocate for a 'better deal with Iran.' " 

"They forgot that the perfect is the enemy of the good." 

"The return to the original deal is by itself a big challenge." 

"Any attempt 'to improve' it would require years of negotiations without any guarantee of positive results."

The above remarks came after E3 officials called for renegotiating the deal to include restrictions on Iran's legitimate ballistic missile program, along with steps to curb its (non-hostile) regional influence.

On December 5, German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said the following:

"A return to the previous agreement will not suffice (sic)."

"There will have to be a kind of 'nuclear agreement plus,' which is also in our interest (sic)." 

"We have clear expectations of Iran: no nuclear weapons, but also no ballistic missile program that threatens the entire region (sic)." 

"Iran also needs to play a different role in the region (sic)." 

"We need this agreement precisely because we distrust Iran (sic)." 

"I have already coordinated with my French and British counterparts on this."

If E3 countries remain firm on what Iran justifiably considers unacceptable demands, the JCPOA may unravel altogether.

It'll be further proof that the US and other Western regimes can never be trusted, that it's futile trying to deal with them.

The world community knows that Iran fosters peace, stability and cooperative relations with other countries, threatening none.

Above remarks by Mass likely reflect views of his UK and French counterparts.

They also show E3 subservience to US imperial aims that go far beyond Iran — notably including EU hostility toward Russia, China, and other independent nations free from US-led Western control.

Preserving the JCPOA is highly uncertain at this time.

What took years to agree on may unravel on the rocks of unacceptable/illegal US-led Western demands — whether Dems or Republicans control things in Washington.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

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