The State Department announced Tuesday night the Trump administration is undergoing an interagency review of the Iran nuclear deal.
State certified to House Speaker Paul Ryan that, through April 18th, Iran is complying with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also warned about Iran’s role as a state sponsor of terrorism and contacted Congress in an effort directed by President Donald Trump to evaluate whether lifting anymore sanctions would be in U.S. national security interests.
In a letter to Speaker Ryan, Sec. Tillerson wrote:
“Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror through many platforms and methods. President Donald J. Trump has directed a National Security Council-led interagency review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that will evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the JCPOA is vital to the national security interests of the United States. When the interagency review is completed, the administration looks forward to working with Congress on this issue.”
Iran agreed to limiting its nuclear program and to rigorous inspections in an agreement, spearheaded by the Obama administration, and signed by other world powers in July 2015.
According to the agreement, many of the more serious sanctions were to be lifted when the International Atomic Energy Agency confirms that Iran has taken action towards the terms of the agreement, such as lessening its stockpiles of fissile materials and centrifuges. However, some sanctions were unrelated to nuclear proliferation and have remained in place.