October 18th has been dubbed Adoption Day – the day when both sides begin taking steps to carry out the provisions of the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Secretary of State John Kerry says a finalized deal could have ramifications for years to come.
“The Middle East remains a deeply troubled place, but every problem in the region would be made much worse if countries were to move towards nuclear weapons,” said Kerry in a speech at Indiana University this week.
Ahead of Adoption Day, Iran muddied the waters by test-firing a medium range missile that may be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.
While Iran’s ballistic missile test does not violate the “letter” of the JCPOA, it does violate the “spirit” of the agreement, said Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council.
“The (U.S.) administration, I think, made a tremendous strategic error in agreeing with the Iranians to take ballistic missiles out of the scope of the work of the JCPOA, and it is an effort that I think we are paying for now,” he said.