Iran Focus

London, 31 Mar – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile visit to the White House is significant because his discussions with US President Trump were tied to the upcoming quarterly deadline to assess whether Tehran is complying with the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump made his opposition to the JCPOA a central position in his presidential campaign, and it is uncertain whether the US will pull out of the agreement.

Following the Crown Prince’s visit, in a move that received widespread international condemnation, Yemen’s Houthi militia launched seven ballistic missiles targeting civilian areas in Saudi Arabia. In Washington, the attacks are viewed as an Iranian attempt to escalate the war in Yemen as part of a strategic effort to undermine the growing US-Saudi relationship.

Iran Focus

London, 31 Mar – As more foreign policy ‘experts’ try to defend the Iran nuclear deal, they actually strengthen the case for scrapping the deal altogether.

Those decrying the appointment of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor respectively, are under the impression that it would be horrible for the US and the world in general if these two allow Trump to pull out of the nuclear deal in May.

Iran Focus

London, 30 Mar – Donald Trump has been threatening to tear up the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal since the campaign trail, but so far he’s been prevented from doing so by high-ranking cabinet officials.

This will not be the case for much longer, as political consultants the Eurasia Group have predicted that the agreement, formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is unlikely “to survive President Donald Trump’s first term in office”, as revealed by their chair Cliff Kupchan on Wednesday.

Iran Focus

London, 30 Mar – US President Donald Trump has been urging his European colleagues to take further action with regards to Iran. Specifically, in terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, he has warned that he will pull the United States out of the deal if the numerous flaws are not fixed and if the shortcomings are not addressed.