Mattis confirms 'no decision' yet on Iran deal
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on 26 April said no decision had been made on whether the United States is going to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
President Donald Trump is due on May 12 to announce his decision about whether America will stay in the historic pact, as US and European diplomats work on a supplemental deal to address his concerns.
‘I can assure you there has been no decision made on any withdrawal from JCPOA,’ Mattis said of the deal, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
‘The discussions are ongoing in the national security staff and those of us who are charged with that responsibility of giving the president advice. It's going on today as we speak,’ Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Though he thinks the deal is flawed, Mattis has previously said he supports America staying in it, telling lawmakers in October it is in the US national interest to do so.
But Mattis offered no such support on 26 April.
‘There are obviously aspects of the JCPOA... that can be improved on. We are working with our European allies on it at this time, and again at this time the decision has not been made whether we can repair it enough to stay, or if the president if going to decide to withdraw from it,’ he said.
Trump, who campaigned on scrapping the Iran deal, has branded it as ‘insane’ and the ‘worst’ in history.
‘This is a deal with decayed foundations. It's a bad deal, it's a bad structure. It's falling down,’ Trump said on 24 April.
‘We are going to see what happens on the 12th.’
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.