Potential Cancellation of JCPOA by Trump to ‘Fracture’ NATO Alliance: US Analyst

“I think he meant that a unilateral rejection of the deal on the part of the Trump administration would fracture the NATO alliance at a moment of great uncertainty because of the voters' rejection of globalism in both the US and Great Britain,” E. Michael Jones, a political analyst in the US state of Indiana, told the Tasnim News Agency in an interview.

Eugene Michael Jones is an American writer, former professor, media commentator and the current editor of Culture Wars magazine.

Following is the full text of the interview.

Tasnim: As you know, Austria is going to host a session of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) joint commission on January 10, following a request from Iran for addressing the US government’s violation of the accord. The upcoming session will be held in Vienna, after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in mid-December sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who is also the coordinator of the JCPOA joint commission, calling for a session of the commission to address a recent US congressional bill extending Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for another ten years. What is your take on the meeting? What results will be obtained from the session? 

Jones: The actions of the US congress were illegal and will be disregarded by the other parties involved in the JCPOA agreement. The Iran sanctions act cannot work unless the other partners agree to honor them. Since they will not honor them, the sanctions will only punish businesses in the United States, but even here we see the hypocrisy behind the bill because no one in Congress is going to prevent a big corporation like Boeing from closing a $16 billion deal.

Tasnim: Head of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker said recently that the incoming Donald Trump administration will not “tear up” the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. He added that abrupt rejection of the deal could create a "crisis". It seems that hardliners in the US are softening their previous stance. If yes, why is that so? What did he mean by crisis?

Jones: I think he meant that a unilateral rejection of the deal on the part of the Trump administration would fracture the NATO alliance at a moment of great uncertainty because of the voters' rejection of globalism in both the US and Great Britain.

Tasnim: Some 37 top American scientists penned a letter to US Trump last week, urging him to abide by the nuclear deal. Similarly, US secretary of state John Kerry said last week, “(the deal) is a demonstration, quite simply, of the power of diplomacy to be able to address major international problems short of war.” What might the future hold with respect to the JCPOA? Will Trump deep-six it as he had promised during his election campaign?

Jones: No, I don't think so. The threat to "tear up" the Iran deal is like the threat to build a wall between the US and Mexico. Campaign rhetoric like this rarely gets translated into reality.

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