Trump Criticizes Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal Again, Experts Say It Once Effectively Restricted Iran's Nuclear Program

WASHINGTON, June 6 — Former U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) in a recent interview, calling the agreement "almost equivalent to giving Iran a nuclear weapon." He added that any future U.S.-Iran nuclear deal would be "far superior to the Obama-era agreement." However, several U.S. non-proliferation experts point out that while the JCPOA was not flawless, it successfully constrained Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and established the strictest international nuclear inspection mechanism to date. Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, noted that the agreement’s most significant achievement was a major boost in transparency, granting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unprecedented oversight of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Reports indicate that after the Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran gradually breached the pact’s restrictions, significantly expanding its enriched uranium stockpile and suspending some inspection measures. Currently, Iran’s enriched uranium inventory far exceeds the agreement’s limits, with some material enriched to levels as high as 60%. Analysts believe that with escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and recent attacks on nuclear facilities, reaching a new nuclear deal by 2026 will be far more challenging than it was a decade ago. Experts from the Arms Control Association add that a new accord will need to address both Iran’s advances in nuclear technology and uncertainties stemming from U.S. military actions and inspection interruptions. Moniz emphasized that the JCPOA’s core principle was "distrust but verify," while the Trump administration adopted a different strategic path that has yet to prove more effective than the previous agreement.