White House NSC Spox: Not Close To Securing Nuclear Deal With Iran

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has told reporters that the US is "not close to securing implementation of a nuclear deal with Iran."

• Kirby also said the US is looking at the possibility of additional sanctions on Iranian government figures in response to the ongoing suppression of civilian protests.
• The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Nuclear accords, negotiated by the Obama administration with Iran, Russia, China, the EU, the E3, Germany, France, and the UK, provided sanction relief to the Iranian oil industry in return for restrictions and IAEA oversight of the Iranian nuclear programme.
• Talks collapsed in late September over Iranian demands for assurances a future US administration could not unilaterally withdraw from the accord, seen as likely if former President Donald Trump retakes the Oval Office in 2024.
• The White House National Security Strategy, released yesterday, omitted mention of the JCPOA regarding Iran's nuclear programme but maintained intention to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, raising the prospect that the US and Israel will pursue a military route to disabling Iran's nuclear capabilities.
• The JCPOA will now be considered highly unlikely to return in its previous form.