In 2015, during the Obama administration, a binding agreement was negotiated with Iran called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the “Iran nuclear deal.” The negotiations included China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, Iran and the United States.
Under this agreement, Iran committed not to pursue atomic weapons and agreed to sweeping, continuous monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify compliance. In exchange, international economic sanctions on Iran were lifted.
The nuclear agreement with Iran was in force until 2018, when President Trump pulled the U.S. out during his first term. He said that the agreement “gave (Iran) the right to have top-of-the-line nuclear weapons.”
The 2015 agreement “absolutely did not give Iran ‘the right to have top-of-the-line nuclear weapons,'” said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.
For what purpose are we fighting a horribly expensive war that is disrupting the world’s entire economy?
David Kuhlke, North Canton
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Why are we fighting horribly expensive war? | Letter
Reporting by The Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
