Haley: Cracking Down On Iran’s Missiles Could Keep Trump In Nuclear Deal
Image by Getty Images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Cracking down on Iranian missile violations could persuade President Donald Trump to abide by the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said.
Nikki Haley made her remarks on Monday after leading a White House meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council and Trump.
“They’re starting to realize, ‘If we don’t start talking about the violations, if we don’t call them out, then the U.S. is going to say this whole thing is a sham,’” Haley told the Associated Press, speaking of the other council members.
The AP quoted Haley as saying that focusing on Iranian violations of Security Council resolutions on missile development and use could sway Trump to stay in the deal.
If true, that would represent a significant shift in Trump’s approach to the 2015 deal, which has been to insist that it must be changed or the United States will pull out. Violations of existing Security Council resolutions on ballistic missile development were not part of the original deal, which was negotiated under President Barack Obama. The deal swaps sanctions relief for rollbacks in Iran’s nuclear program.
At least three of the parties to the deal — France, Britain and Germany — have said they are willing to toughen sanctions on Iran outside the framework of the deal, including those targeting its missile development.
Among other changes to the agreement, Trump has said previously that he wants Iranian missile development to trigger new sanctions. He also has said he wants to remove “sunset” clauses that lift some of the restrictions on Iran enriching fissile material in 10-15 years.
Trump has until April to decide whether to keep the United States in the deal. At that point he must decide whether to continue to waive nuclear sanctions, as required by the pact.
The Security Council delegation also toured the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, focusing on its exhibit recounting the atrocities committed during the ongoing Syrian civil war.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
