Obama said: "Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.”
The former democratic president, who was in office when the deal was inked in 2015, further suggested that Trump’s decision would undermine efforts to negotiate with North Korea.
Obama added: "At a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes – with Iran – the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans."
Iran has on numerous occasions asserted that its nuclear program is civilian and peaceful in nature, and is not meant to produce nuclear weapons. .
Former Secretary of State John Kerry, who was a top negotiator in the talks that led to the agreement, also censured the move, asserting that it “breaks America's word.”
President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran will stay in the JCPOA with other signatories, stressing that Iran has always complied with its commitments to the JCPOA, while the US has never honoured its commitments as part of the deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday America's withdrawal from the deal, and potentially the re- imposition of sanctions and other economic penalties.
The European Union, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have all expressed regret over Trump's decision about the deal.
Iran has stated on numerous occasions that manufacture of nuclear weapons is "Haram" or forbidden in Islam. Iran says its nuclear program is merely peaceful and not meant to make nukes.
