Islam Times - Jake Sullivan: Trump Has Genuine Opportunity to Negotiate Iran Nuclear Deal

Islam Times - National security adviser Jake Sullivan suggested there is a “genuine opportunity” for President-elect Donald Trump to be a key player in getting an Iran nuclear deal following fall of Bashar Assad government in Syria.

According to the CNN report, Sullivan, however, highlighted the “real risk” that Iran may revisit its nuclear doctrine in the aftermath of the Assad government in Syria.

“It’s a risk that I’m personally briefing the incoming team on. I was just in Israel, consulting with the Israelis on this risk,” he told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday.

Iran’s “conventional capability has been reduced,” Sullivan claimed.

The US official said that Iran has lost its alleged proxies while the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei dismissed in a speech earlier on Sunday claims that Iran has been cut off from its “proxy forces” in the region, asserting that the Islamic Republic neither has nor needs such forces to achieve its objectives.

In 2018, Iran activated the dispute resolution mechanism within the Joint Commission of the JCPOA at the level of foreign ministers from the remaining signatories to the agreement. Consequently, the JCPOA members issued a statement outlining 11 commitments aimed at compensating for the economic damages caused by the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the deal and re-imposition of sanctions against Iran.

Iran honored its commitments under the JCPOA for a year following the US withdrawal, hoping to give European nations time to fulfill their promises to mitigate the impacts of Washington’s unilateral exit. Nevertheless, as European countries failed to meet their commitments, Iran began to reduce its obligations under the JCPOA in several stages.

Negotiations to resume the implementation of the JCPOA have been held over eight rounds in Vienna, with representatives from the remaining signatories of the deal, the European Union, and Iran participating. The US delegation took part in the discussions indirectly.

However, the talks have stalled due to factors such as contradictions in behavior, delays in decision-making, excessive demands, and new requests from the United States.