Protests in Iran are no reason to kill the nuclear deal

The Trump administration should continue to waive nuclear-related sanctions, lift the travel ban and support Iranian domestic freedoms, writes Mark Fitzpatrick from IISS

Opponents of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have seized on the popular protests engulfing Iranian cities as a new reason for attacking the agreement. It is of no relevance to them that the protesters themselves are not denouncing the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or calling for foreign sanctions against Iran. The logic, rather, seems to be that because protesters are criticising their government, foreign powers should, in solidarity, similarly attack the Tehran authorities by imposing economic penalties.

US President Donald Trump, whose initial tweets in support of the protests were unusually measured, will be faced with a decision at the end of next week about whether to continue to waive US sanctions as called for by the JCPOA. At the last periodic deadline in September, Trump continued the waivers, but a month later he demonstrated his dislike of the deal by refusing to certify that Iran is complying with it, despite all the evidence to the contrary. This time, the deadlines for decisions on certification and sanctions waivers coincide during the period of 11–17 January.

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