Al-Monitor | Saeid Jafari: As concerns grow every day about whether or not the United States willabandon the nuclear dealwith Iran, Tehran is weighing its options in different possible scenarios.
Donald Trump has long vowed to tear up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), pledging such a move even before he was elected as president. However, despite his apparent personal desire to do so, this has not happened yet. Most analysts attribute this to the opposition shown by European parties to the JCPOA, as well as the resistance of Trumps own advisers and Cabinet members.
On July 17, TheNew York Timeswrote about the Trump administrations meeting to certify Irans compliance with the nuclear deal for a second time. According to the report, Trump had spent 55 minutes of the hourlong meeting telling his secretaries and national security advisers that he did not want the deal. While Trump did reluctantly follow their advice and recertify Irans compliance in that meeting,his recent speechat the UN General Assembly indicates that the United States is closer than ever to abandoning the deal. Speaking inNew Yorkon Sept. 19, Trump said, Frankly, that deal [the JCPOA] is an embarrassment to the United States, and I dont think youve heard the last of it believe me.