Iran nuclear deal could fade out of existence, US official says
Washington’s special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, said he expected the Iran nuclear deal to be dismantled as its clauses continue to lapse.
The agreement limited Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
“This deal is going to … keep expiring until there’s no deal left,” Mr Hook told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Wednesday.
On Thursday, he announced he was stepping down after two years as special representative to Iran.
US President Donald Trump, who took his country out of the agreement signed by Barack Obama in 2015, would like a new deal, Mr Hook said.
“The sunset [clauses] start to expire in about two months,” he said. “This deal is going to continue expiring. The missile restrictions expire in 2023.”
Mr Hook said any deal would have to restrict uranium enrichment to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“As long as Iran is allowed to enrich, we will be having this discussion on how close they are,” he said, calling on China and Russia to support the move as they did in 2006. “We need to restore the UN Security Council standard on no enrichment.”
Mr Hook said Iran’s hand in the Middle East had weakened since the US killed the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qassem Suleimani, in Baghdad in January.
“He spoke Arabic fluently and was a genius in organising Iran’s proxies,” Mr Hook said. “We see big change since he was taken off the battlefield.”
He said the protests in Iraq were an outright rejection of any Iranian role in the country. The US is pushing for the UN Security Council to extend its arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire in October.
“If you listen to the countries in the region, they’re all speaking with one voice,” Mr Hook said. “When the Arabs and Israelis agree on extending the arms embargo on Iran, it is significant and we should take note.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the US would introduce a Security Council resolution next week to extend the embargo.