www.astralcodexten.com/p/introducing-plan-a
1 correction found
The JCPOA nuclear treaty with Iran barely made it two years.
The JCPOA was not a treaty; U.S. government and CRS materials describe it as an unsigned, nonbinding political commitment. It also lasted longer than “barely two years”: from Implementation Day on January 16, 2016 to the U.S. withdrawal announcement on May 8, 2018 was about 28 months.
Full reasoning
This sentence is inaccurate in two ways.
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The JCPOA was not a treaty. A Congressional Research Service report states that the JCPOA "was not signed by any party," did not provide for ratification or entry into force, and was treated by the Obama administration as a political commitment rather than a binding treaty. The same CRS report quotes the State Department saying: "The [JCPOA] is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and it is not a signed document."
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It lasted more than two years. Treasury's OFAC states that:
- October 18, 2015 was Adoption Day, when the JCPOA "came into effect";
- January 16, 2016 was Implementation Day; and
- on May 8, 2018, the President announced the U.S. decision to cease participation.
So even using the later Implementation Day start date, the JCPOA ran for about 2 years and 4 months before the U.S. withdrawal announcement. Using Adoption Day, it lasted about 2 years and 7 months. That is longer than "barely two years."
2 sources
- Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement (Congressional Research Service)
The JCPOA was not signed by any party, and it does not contain provisions for ratification or entry into force... the Obama Administration treated the document as a political commitment... "The [JCPOA] is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and it is not a signed document."
- JCPOA Implementation | Office of Foreign Assets Control
October 18, 2015 marked Adoption Day of the JCPOA, the date on which the JCPOA came into effect... Today, January 16, 2016, marks Implementation Day of the JCPOA... Please note that on May 8, 2018, the President announced his decision to cease the United States' participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).