In 2015, there were questions about whether the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or Iran Nuclear Deal, was valid under International Law. In 2018, we’re still not sure it was ever more than a scam. Here’s why.
 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, sent a letter in 2015 to his predecessor John Kerry while Pompeo was still in Congress on the House Intelligence Committee.“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and is not a signed document,” wrote Julia Frifield, the State Department assistant secretary for legislative affairs.
 
A month before, the Ayatollah endorsed the plan with conditional approval after Iran’s parliament acted upon it. Iran’s President Rouhani, a cheerleader for the deal, was against the parliament voting up the measure because he was afraid it would “create an obligation” and impose an “unnecessary legal restriction” on the regime. The State Department referred to these as “political commitments”, which sounds pretty shaky.
 
Ayatollah Khamenei has always been wary of the deal and has consistently accused the United States of violating it. Because neither country signed it as a formal treaty, this boils down to Obama bribing the Iranians into giving a hollow promise, which they may not be legally bound to keep. We do know that President Trump walked away from a farce, not a credible way to stabilize the Middle East.