After withdrawing from the JCPOA, the US's unilateraleconomic and financial sanctions on Iran were re-imposed. Trump called his economic, financial and political sanctions a "maximum pressure" campaign. Unilateral sanctions are against international law. Only the UN has the authority to impose a sanction regime.
Supposedly, Trump's motive for withdrawing from the agreement is that he wants to renegotiate his own "Iran nuclear deal". Iran should never trust any deal it makes with the US, nor should anyone else. Iran has already gambled on a US promise and lost. It is not alone. The US ignores promises, and as the saying goes the rest of the world can like it or lump it.
The US threatens a "limited surgical strike" against Iran. A limited strike is an illegal act of war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the attacks of September 11, 2001 were "limited surgical strikes". Limited surgical strikes against Iran would be no different.
Example of a Limited Surgical Strike against a high-value target.
The threat or use of forces is a violation of the UN Charter. The UN Charter is a treaty signed by President Harry Truman and ratified by the Senate. For a nuclear-weapons country to threaten a non-nuclear weapons country is a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty.
Threats such as "all options are on the table", economic sanctions, seizing oil tankers on the high seas, and naval blockades are violations of international law. They are all acts of a war of aggression. The Nuremberg Tribunal defined wars of aggression to be the worst of war crimes, because it leads to all the other war crimes.
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Iran announced on July 7th that it was going to exceed the JCPOA limits of the enriched uranium and heavy water that it stockpiles. Iran also announced that it will increase the enrichment of its uranium. This was no surprise, since Trump's sanctions ban Iran from selling its enriched uranium and heavy water. Under the JCPOA, Iran is within its rights to exceed the limits, as explained below.
Along with the US unilateral maximum-pressure economic and financial sanctions on Iran, the US also imposed secondary sanctions. Any entity doing business with Iran that is not exempt from US sanctions would also be sanctioned by the US. This is a heavy burden, and it prevents corporations from doing even exempt business with Iran, least they fall into disfavor with the US.
Besides the US imposing sanctions on Iran from selling oil, it also placed sanctions on Iran selling metal, precious earth, enriched uranium and heavy water. Under the JCPOA, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium to 3.67%, and stockpile up to 660 pounds. It could then sell low enriched uranium, and purchase back highly enriched uranium. Iran needs 5% enriched uranium for its Bushehr nuclear power plant, and 20% enriched uranium for medical and research purposes.
Since the US has cutoff Iran's ability to trade in uranium, it has no practical choice, except to exceed the limits. Its only other choice is to shut down the enrichment process, turn off its nuclear power plant Bushehr, and let thousands of cancer patients go untreated. Iran cannot risk being at the mercy of the West for its needed highly-enriched uranium.
Since the US has breached the agreement Iran has the right to continue with the JCPOA in whole, or in part, or withdraw from the JCPOA entirely. For Iran to exceed the stockpiling and enrichment of uranium because of the US's actions is not a violation of the JCPOA. That did not stop Trump, the EU and the corporate mainstream media from screaming like bloody murder.
On Sunday morning July 8th the corporate mainstream media gave Trump the propaganda prize he wanted with the following headlines:
The New York Times : Iran Announces New Breach of Nuclear Deal Limits, and Threatens Further Violations.
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