23 September, 2017
I can tell you the Trump administration would like to see it.
Tillerson, in an interview on Fox News, said the so-called sunset clauses, under which some of the 2015 deal's restrictions on Iran's nuclear program expire over time, were of particular concern.
The move is a direct challenge to US President Donald Trump, who signed a bill imposing mandatory penalties on those involved in Iran's ballistic missile programme and anyone who does business with them.
Trump told the IAEA's annual meeting in Vienna that if the International Atomic Energy Agency fails to obtain access to Iranian military sites thought to be engaged in illegal nuclear activity, "We will not accept a weakly enforced or inadequately monitored deal".
Under the nuclear deal, Iran surrendered much of its enriched uranium, dismantled a reactor and submitted nuclear sites to United Nations inspection, while Washington and Europe lifted some sanctions.
If Trump does not certify in October that Iran is complying with the agreement, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the 2015 global accord. Addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday, Rouhani said his country won't be the first to violate the nuclear agreement, "but it will respond decisively to its violation by any party". He challenged Mr. Trump's dismissal of the Iran nuclear agreement, defending it as 'solid, robust and verifiable'.
"Given that we are already struggling to contain the North Korean nuclear and missile crisis, it would be extremely unwise for the president to initiate steps that could unravel the highly successful 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which could create a second major nonproliferation crisis", said Kelsey Davenport, nonproliferation policy director for the Arms Control Association, which organized the statement. He warned the USA would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies, adding that while the United States has "great strength and patience", its options could soon run out.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also slammed Iran in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
Trump then took on the Iranian government, saying it was "a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy". Iran's president, meanwhile, lashed out at "ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric" in response to Trump's blistering attack at the United Nations.
"We can not let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building unsafe missiles", Trump said.
Macron and other supporters of the accord say weakening or scrapping the deal would add fuel to a regional powder keg and deter North Korea from negotiating on its nuclear program.
In any event, the U.S. Failure to issue the certification would open the door for Congress, under expedited procedures, to introduce legislation to reimpose nuclear sanctions that were lifted in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program that block its pathways to a bomb. We didn't throw shoes at one another. "It was not an angry tone at all, it was a very, very matter-of-fact exchange about how we see this deal very differently".
Trump faces a deadline in October to notify Congress whether Iran is abiding by the accord.
The nuclear deal was negotiated with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France. If the USA tries to activate globally enforceable sanctions on Iran again, European countries could balk, another potential repercussion Trump must weigh.
