US to review whether lifting Iran sanctions serves national security interests - Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff 

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tells Congress Iran has complied with the 2015 nuclear deal, but says there are concerns about its role as a state sponsor of terrorism • Administration, Congress will work on the issue together, he says.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson | Photo credit: AP

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday he had informed Congress of plans to review whether the lifting of sanctions against Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal was in the United States' national security interests.

"President Donald J. Trump has directed a National Security Council-led interagency review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that will evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is vital to the national security interests of the United States," Tillerson said in a statement.

In a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, Tillerson said Iran remained compliant with the 2015 deal, but said there were concerns about its role as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The State Department must notify Congress every 90 days on Iran's compliance under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. It is the first such notification under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tillerson did not say how long the review would take, but said the administration was looking forward to working with Congress on the issue.

During his presidential campaign, Trump called the agreement "the worst deal ever negotiated," raising questions over whether he would rip up the agreement once he took office.

The historic deal between Iran and six major powers restricts Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international oil and financial sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Iran denies ever having considered developing atomic weapons, although nuclear experts have warned that any U.S. violation of the nuclear deal would allow Iran to also pull back from its commitments to curb nuclear development.

Those commitments include reducing the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds, capping its level of uranium enrichment well below the level needed for bomb-grade material, reducing its enriched uranium stockpile from around 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) to 300 kilograms (660 pounds) for 15 years, and submitting to international inspections to verify its compliance.

Last month, Trump's Defense Secretary James Mattis said Iran continued to behave as an exporter of terrorism and still sponsors militant activity.

The United States has long accused Iran of being the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism, saying Iran supported conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.

Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=41835

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