Trump Criticizes Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal; Experts Say It Once Effectively Curbed Iran’s Program

Huo Xing Finance reports that on June 6, Trump recently criticized the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program during an interview, calling the agreement “almost equivalent to giving Iran a nuclear weapon,” and stated that any new deal with Iran in the future would be “far superior” to the Obama-era agreement. However, several U.S. experts in nuclear non-proliferation have pointed out that while the JCPOA was not perfect, it successfully curtailed Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and established the most rigorous international verification regime to date. Former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz noted that the agreement’s most significant achievement was dramatically increasing transparency, enabling the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct unprecedented oversight of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The report states that after the Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran gradually breached its restrictions, significantly increasing its enriched uranium stockpile and reducing certain verification measures. Iran’s current enriched uranium inventory now far exceeds the limits set by the agreement, with some uranium enriched up to 60%. Analysts believe that, following the escalation of U.S.-Iran tensions and attacks on nuclear facilities, the difficulty of reaching a new agreement by 2026 is significantly higher than it was a decade ago. Experts from the Arms Control Association say any new agreement must not only address Iran’s advancements in nuclear technology but also resolve uncertainties stemming from U.S.-Israel military actions and the interruption of inspections. Former U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz emphasized that the core principle of the JCPOA was “trust but verify,” and that the Trump administration pursued a different strategic path—one whose effectiveness has yet to be proven superior to the previous agreement.