U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has accused Iran of “alarming ongoing provocations” to destabilise countries in the Middle East.
The comments came as an unscheduled appearance from Tillerson addressed the Trump administration’s stance on Iran’s “provocative” behaviour.
“Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts [and] undermining U.S. interest in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon,” said Tillerson.
President Trump is currently ordering a review of the Iran nuclear deal. Tillerson stated that this review would not only look at Tehran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal but also its behaviour in the region.
However, the U.S. has admitted in a letter released on Tuesday that Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal.
“A comprehensive Iran policy requires we address all of the threats posed by Iran and it is clear [that] there are many,” Tillerson told reporters at the state department.
He further stated that the previous agreement had failed to obtain the objective of a non-nuclear Iran, only delaying their goal of becoming a nuclear state.
“An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea and to take the world along with it,” Tillerson said.
The 2015 nuclear deal, negotiated during Barack Obama’s presidency, placed strict limitations on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting economic sanctions against Iran. It was a deal reached between the U.S., EU partners, Russia and China.
Tillerson’s notice to Congress was part of a 90-day process in which, come the end of it, the president will have to confirm whether Iran is complying with the nuclear accord.
In May, Trump will have to decide whether to extend sanctions waivers for Iran first signed by Obama.
If the deal is to be scrapped, experts warn that it could anger other members of the agreement. One journalist questioned how anybody in the world could ever trust the U.S. again, if Trump pulled out of the agreement.
During his campaign for president, Trump loudly hailed the agreement as “the worst deal ever negotiated” and said he would review it once he reached office.
However, Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today believes that Trump is about to “flip positions” that he first took during his campaign.
Iran has so far made no public comments on the latest developments.
