EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker has attacked the US for turning its back on its allies and says Europe must take America’s place as global leader after Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
The EU Commission President said America ‘no longer wants to cooperate’ with other parts of the world and is turning away from friendly relations ‘with a ferocity that can only surprise us.’
Trump has sparked fury in Tehran by withdrawing from the accord with politicians burning the US flag and the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning that ‘America can’t do a damn thing’.
As European powers scrambled to salvage the agreement today, Juncker said it was up to the EU to take on the mantle of the US, adding: ‘At this point, we have to replace the United States, which as an international actor has lost vigor, and because of it, in the long term, influence.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was seriously concerned and would be discussing the ‘acute’ situation.
However, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insisted today that America will continue to work with allies to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon – despite Trump’s announcement yesterday.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured today) says the US ‘no longer wants to cooperate with other parts in the world’ after Donald Trump ‘s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal
Iranian politicians have set fire to the US flag in parliament and accused Donald Trump of lacking the ‘mental capacity to deal with issues’ after the US President’s nuclear deal pullout
‘We will continue to work alongside our allies and partners to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon, and will work with others to address the range of Iran’s malign influence,’ Mattis said before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
‘This Administration remains committed to putting the safety, interests, and well-being of our citizens first,’ Mattis said.
While Iranian officials say they hope Europe will work with them to preserve the deal, many are pessimistic.
The lawmakers, including a Shiite cleric, held the flaming flag alight as their colleagues joined their chants. They also burned a piece of paper representing the nuclear deal and stomped on the papers’ ashes.
While U.S. flag-burning is common in Iran and harsh criticism of America has been a staple of Iranian parliamentary politics for years, it was the first time political observers could remember anything being burned inside the parliament itself.
Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned ‘America can’t do a damn thing’ as politicians burned a US flag in parliament in the wake of Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Without elaborating, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the US President of ’10 lies’ during his explosive annoucement yesterday and warned his country not to trust America, Britain, France and Germany.
President Trump had previously fiercely criticised the Iran deal, which eased sanctions in exchange for commitments to abandon its nuclear weapons programme
Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured today) said he was seriously concerned and talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would discuss the ‘acute’ situation
Europeans still back the 2015 deal and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain said Trump’s decision to leave the accord is a threat to global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel mirrored Juncker’s comments, saying the U.S. withdrawal shows Europe will face increasing responsibility to secure peace and seek political solutions to conflicts.
Merkel said in a speech to members of her conservative party that ‘we have taken note with regret but also concern of this withdrawal by the United States of America, which is of course serious for such an agreement. We will remain committed to this agreement and try to do everything so that Iran also fulfills its commitments in the future.’
Merkel said that ‘yesterday showed us once again that we will face more responsibility in Europe, in foreign policy, in the area of securing peace, in the area of the political solutions we must find.’
French President Emmanuel Macron , along with the UK and Germany, voiced regret over Trump’s decision and reinforced their commitment to the deal, words echoed by several nations, including China and Russia, which said it was ‘deeply disappointed’.
French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian insisted the deal was ‘not dead’ while finance minister Bruno Le Maire said the US should not consider itself as the world’s ‘economic policeman’.
Rules of the agreement: Behind the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal
Members of Iran’s parliament burned an American flag and a symbolic copy of the Iran deal as a session of parliament began in Tehran on Wednesday morning
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured today) mirrored Juncker’s comments, saying the U.S. withdrawal shows Europe will face increasing responsibility to secure peace and seek political solutions to conflicts
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said a follow-on agreement could be built around the core of the JCPOA nuclear accord with Iran that would address President Trump’s concerns.
He added that Britain ‘has no intention of walking away’ from the agreement.
Trump’s move has, however, been welcomed by Iran’s major rivals, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
A senior Israeli Cabinet minister said the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement will force the Islamic Republic to abandon its pursuit of a bomb for good.
The Israeli government has staunchly opposed the 2015 nuclear deal and warmly congratulated Trump on his decision.
It says Iran abided by the deal because it served them well.
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz says the 2015 deal ‘was leading toward a nuclear weapon.’
He said Wednesday that ‘Iran has two options – to align or to fold and crumble.’
Speaking to the Herzliya Conference, an annual security gathering north of Tel Aviv, Katz says if Iran doesn’t truly shut down its nuclear ambitions ‘it will encounter the U.S. economic power, and we know the state of the Iranian economy.’
They also chanted ‘Death to America,’ according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured today) said a follow-on agreement could be built around the core of the JCPOA nuclear accord with Iran that would address President Trump’s concerns
Gulf Arab nations the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have expressed support for Trump’s decision.
The UAE says the agreement didn’t guarantee Iran would refrain from pursuing a nuclear weapon in the future.
Bahrain, which has accused Iran of arming and training Shiite Bahraini protesters with the aim of destabilizing the Sunni-ruled country, said late Tuesday that Trump’s decision reflects the U.S. commitment to confront Iran’s ‘continuous attempts to spread terrorism in the region.’
Saudi Arabia – one of Iran’s staunchest regional foes – earlier rushed to express its support for Trump’s decision, saying Iran had exploited the economic benefits of sanctions being lifted to continue its destabilizing activities.
Oman, a Gulf Arab nation that helped mediate talks between the U.S. and Iran that eventually led to the deal, said it ‘values the stance of the five partners (P5+1) to adhere to this agreement, thus contributing to regional and international security and stability.’
It was referring to the agreement’s co-signers – Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – all of which had urged the U.S. to adhere to the deal.
Meanwhile, The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says that Iran is fulfilling its commitments under the nuclear deal.
In a brief statement on Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Yukiya Amano, said that ‘as of today, the IAEA can confirm that the nuclear-related commitments are being implemented by Iran.’
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile said his country will remain in the deal, and will instead trade with the other countries which signed it
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (pictured today) said America ‘cannot do a damn thing’ and, without elaborating, described Trump’s speech yesterday of having ‘over 10 lies’
The Vienna-based IAEA was tasked with monitoring and verifying Iran’s adherence to the 2015 deal with six world powers. President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. on Tuesday.
Amano said: ‘Iran is subject to the world’s most robust nuclear verification regime under the (deal), which is a significant verification gain.’
Khamenei’s comments came as Iranian politicians chanted ‘death to America’, set fire to a US flag and a symbolic copy of the Iran deal and vowed to continue spending on the country’s ballistic missile program.
Referring to Trump, Khamenei added this morning: ‘This man will turn to dust and his body will become food for snakes and ants. And the Islamic Republic will still be standing.’
‘I said many times from the first day: don’t trust America. And he added, ‘I don’t trust these three countries,’ Britain, France and Germany.
All three are parties to the agreement and were trying after Trump’s withdrawal to salvage the deal. But Khamenei sounded dubious about their efforts.
‘If you can’t get a definite guarantee, then the nuclear deal can not be continued,’ he said.
Khamenei heaped scorn on Trump, saying ‘You heard last night that the president of America made some silly and superficial comments.
‘He had maybe more than 10 lies in his comments. He threatened the regime and the people, saying I’ll do this and that. Mr. Trump, I tell you on behalf of the Iranian people: You’ve made a mistake.’
Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, reluctantly gave his backing for the Iran nuclear deal and has publicly criticized the U.S. multiple times for not following through on its promises under the agreement.
Raising the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme was an excuse to curb the Islamic Republic’s regional influence and missile programme, Khamenei said. Accepting negotiations on its missiles and regional influence would mean Iran had to make endless concessions, he said.
‘We accepted the nuclear deal, but the enmity against the Islamic Republic did not end,’ Khamenei said.
Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, reluctantly gave his backing for the Iran nuclear deal and has publicly criticized the U.S. multiple times for not following through on its promises under the agreement
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s ditching the Iran nuclear deal, calling it ‘disastrous’ and an ’embarrassment’
Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani slammed the US president, saying: ‘Trump does not have the mental capacity to deal with issues’
Iran needs to preserve its nuclear programme because the country will need 20,000 megawatts of electricity in the next few years, he said.
President Hassan Rouhani has previously warned that Iran could restart enriching uranium ‘without any limitations’ within weeks.
The furious demonstration in the Iranian parliament this morning reflected broad public anger in the country after Trump called the deal a ‘horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made’.
‘Trump does not have the mental capacity to deal with issues,’ parliament speaker Ali Larijani said.
The 2015 agreement imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of most U.S. and international sanctions.
However, the deal came with time limits and did not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or its regional policies in Syria and elsewhere. Trump has repeatedly pointed to those omissions in referring to the accord as the ‘worst deal ever.’
Proponents of the deal have said those time limits were meant to encourage more discussion with Iran in the future that could eventually address other concerns.
The agreement had opened the doors for Western companies – including car manufacturers, oil firms, airlines and hotel groups – to sign deals in Iran, boosting the company’s economy.
But these enterprises could not be at risk of suffering losses after a White House fact sheet on Trump’s decision warned that they will be given ‘a period of time to allow them to wind down operations’ in the country.
Those that don’t ‘risk severe consequences’, the fact sheet said.
European plane-maker Airbus and US rival Boeing are among the biggest companies affected by Trump’s decision to pull out of the deal.
Airbus says it will abide by renewed U.S. sanctions but that it could take ‘some time’ to determine the full impact of the American decision on the aviation industry’s plans to sell billions of dollars’ worth of planes to Iran.
What is the atomic agreement and why does it face criticism now?
GIVE AND TAKE
At its heart, the 2015 deal imposes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program that make it impossible for Iran to produce a bomb, in return for the lifting of most of the U.S. and international sanctions against it. But the accord has a series of time limits.
Under its terms, Iran only can maintain a stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of low-enriched uranium, compared to the 100,000 kilograms (220,460 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium it once had.
Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67 percent, which can be used to fuel a reactor but is far below the 90 percent needed to produce a weapon. The deal also limited the number of centrifuges Iran can run and restricted it to an older, slower model.
At its heart, the 2015 deal imposes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program that make it impossible for Iran to produce a bomb, in return for the lifting of most of the U.S. and international sanctions. Pictured: Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani
Iran also reconfigured a heavy-water reactor so it couldn’t produce plutonium and agreed to convert its Fordo enrichment site – dug deep into a mountainside – into a research center. It granted more access to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and set up a system that allows the U.N. watchdog to inspect other sites.
In exchange, world powers lifted the crippling economic sanctions that had locked Iran out of international banking and the global oil trade. It allowed Iran to make purchases of commercial aircraft and reach other business deals. It also unfroze billions of dollars Iran had overseas.
The deal, however, does not directly stop Iran from testing or firing ballistic missiles. It also has a series of rolling expiration dates. In 8 { years, for example, Iran can start testing up to 30 more advanced centrifuges, a number it can greatly expand two years later.
Fifteen years after the deal, restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment and stockpile size end.
AFTER 15 YEARS
During the life of the accord, Iran is limited to a level where it cannot produce a bomb and – if the deal were to fall apart today – experts say it would need at least a year to build one. If Iran violates the deal, sanctions can immediately be re-imposed.
The deal’s opponents argue it allows Iran to build a bomb after it expires, something Iran has explicitly promised in the accord not to do.
After the 15 years are up, Iran could have an array of advanced centrifuges ready to work, the limits on its stockpile would be gone, and in theory it could then throw itself wholeheartedly into producing highly enriched uranium. But at the same time, nothing in the deal prevents the West from trying to rein Iran in again with sanctions.
The deal’s architects and supporters say the idea is to increase dialogue and trust during the intervening 15 years and negotiate an extension or a new accord. Later deals, they argue, also can tackle other outstanding issues between Iran and the West.
‘WORST DEAL EVER’
The nuclear agreement marked President Barack Obama’s biggest foreign accomplishment. Trump, who has called the deal ‘a disaster’ and ‘the worst deal ever,’ has worked on unwinding much of Obama’s domestic and foreign agenda.
Trump criticizes the deal for not including Iran’s ballistic missile program or Tehran’s support of groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and its aid of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. He also has criticized the fact the deal’s terms expire. He said the accord ‘threw Iran’s dictatorship a political and economic lifeline.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, long a hawk on Iran, has long criticized the deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, long a hawk on Iran, similarly has criticized the deal. Seeking to ensure Trump’s withdrawal, he held a news conference last week alleging ‘Iran lied’ about its nuclear weapon ambitions in the 2000s. But the information he shared seemed to match up with what the IAEA already reported about Tehran’s program. Israel itself is widely believed to have its own never-disclosed nuclear arsenal.
In Iran, meanwhile, many say they haven’t seen the economic benefits that President Hassan Rouhani said would flow in from the accord. The public has been hit by spiraling inflation, fueling nationwide protests in December and January.
ATOMS FOR PEACE TO THREATS OF WAR
Iran’s nuclear program actually began with the help of the United States. Under its ‘Atoms for Peace’ program, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. That help ended once Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah.
In the 1990s, Iran expanded its program, including buying equipment from A.Q. Khan, the father of the nuclear program in Pakistan, which has produced an arsenal. Among its activities, Iran ‘may have received design information’ for a bomb and researched explosive detonators, according to the IAEA. By August 2002, Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group revealed a covert nuclear site at the central city of Natanz.
Iran to this day denies its nuclear program had a military dimension.
TALKS AND SANCTIONS
In the early 2000s, Britain, France and Germany launched nuclear negotiations with Iran that the U.S. sat out. By October 2003, Iran suspended enrichment. But it resumed it again in 2006 under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. World powers imposed crippling U.N. sanctions locking Tehran out of the global economy.
The U.S. under the Obama administration started secret talks with Iran in Oman after President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, took office
The U.S. under the Obama administration started secret talks with Iran in Oman after President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, took office. Iran and world powers ultimately reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the nuclear deal, in 2015.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Expect European nations to try to hold the accord together. Iran will likely keep up its criticism of the U.S., but probably won’t back out of the deal, given its business interests. However, the U.S. pullout will weaken Rouhani’s hand in Iranian politics and potentially strengthen hard-liners.
An Airbus spokesman said Wednesday that ‘we’re carefully analyzing the announcement and will be evaluating next steps consistent with our internal policies and in full compliance with sanctions and export control regulations.’ He said he expected it to take ‘some time.’
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that licenses held by Airbus and Boeing to sell jetliners to Iran will be revoked, but that certain exemptions will be negotiated.
German multinational Siemens says it will abide by any sanctions on Iran but is waiting to see how the international community reacts to Trump’s decision.
CFO Ralf Thomas said Siemens, which has multi-billion euro (dollar) contracts with Iran for rail, power plant and other projects, was currently assessing the possible impact.
He says ‘we will always comply and adhere to all relevant export control regulations,’ but ‘we are waiting for guidance from the international community.’
Trump signed a document on Tuesday reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal
National Security Advisor John Bolton (left) and Vice President Mike Pence (right) watched as Trump delivered his scripted remarks on Tuesday, and then Bolton briefed reporters off-camera in the White House briefing room
Late Tuesday night, President Hassan Rouhani said he’d be sending Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the countries still in the deal – China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Iran hopes the European Union will pass laws to protect European firms from any potential U.S. sanctions. EU officials have suggested they’ll do what they can to salvage the agreement.
Still, Rouhani made a point of stressing that Iran, at any time, could resume its nuclear program.
‘So if necessary, we can begin our industrial enrichment without any limitations,’ the Iranian leader said. ‘Until implementation of this decision, we will wait for some weeks and will talk with our friends and allies and other signatories of the nuclear deal, who signed it and who will remain loyal to it. Everything depends on our national interests.’
On Wednesday morning after the flag burning, parliament speaker Ali Larijani said responsibility for saving the deal fell on the EU and other world powers still in the accord.
‘The period is only a window in which the EU can prove if it has enough weight for settling down international issues or not?’ he said.
Larijani also urged the country’s nuclear department to prepare for ‘resumption of all aspects of nuclear activities.’
The head of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said parliament is preparing to increase spending on the country’s ballistic missile program.
Iran nuclear deal – what happens next?
Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal abruptly restores harsh sanctions on Iran, an any companies which trades with it, meaning major companies in the U.S. and Europe could be hurt, too.
The sanctions seek to punish Iran for its nuclear program by limiting its ability to sell oil or do business overseas, affecting a wide range of Iranian economic sectors and individuals.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that licenses held by Boeing and its European competitor Airbus to sell billions of dollars in commercial jetliners to Iran will be revoked.
New rules: US President Donald Trump, seen here shaking hands with National Security Advisor John Bolton, will impose sanctions on Iran, and companies doing business with Iran, immediately
Certain exemptions are to be negotiated, but Mnuchin refused to discuss what products might qualify.
He said the sanctions will sharply curtail sales of oil by Iran, which is currently the world’s fifth largest oil producer.
Mnuchin said he didn’t expect oil prices to rise sharply, forecasting that other producers will step up production.
The White House administration said it would re-impose sanctions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down activity.
Companies and banks doing business with Iran will have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S. government.
In Iran, many are deeply concerned about how Trump’s decision could affect the already struggling economy.
In Tehran, Rouhani sought to calm nerves, smiling as he appeared at a petroleum expo. He didn’t name Trump directly, but emphasized that Iran continued to seek ‘engagement with the world.’
One of Trump’s criticisms of the deal has been the fact it does not address Iran’s missile program.
Boroujerdi said: ‘With America’s decision, Iran’s missile program will not change at all.’
Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has welcomed Donald Trump’s decision, saying it was clear from the beginning that the Americans were ‘not trustworthy’ and that the move would have no impact.
The semi-official Fars news agency quoted General Mohammad Ali Jafari as predicting that the EU, which opposed the pullout, would eventually join the U.S., meaning the ‘the fate of the deal is clear.’
He is quoted as saying: ‘We welcome Trump’s decision on pulling out of the deal. This is not a new event and has no effective role in any field.’ He added that ‘it was clear that the Americans are not trustworthy.’
The Revolutionary Guard is a paramilitary force dominated by hard-liners, which answers directly to Iran’s supreme leader.
Many Iranians are worried about what Trump’s decision could mean for their country.
The Iranian rial is already trading on the black market at 66,000 to the dollar, despite a government-set rate of 42,000 rials. Many say they have not seen any benefits from the nuclear deal.
Iran’s poor economy and unemployment sparked nationwide protests in December and January that saw at least 25 people killed and, reportedly, nearly 5,000 arrested.
Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal is dominating newspaper front pages and discussions across Iran, with some saying the accord will go on ‘without the troublemaker.’
Iranian moderate newspapers on Wednesday sought to buoy embattled President Hassan Rouhani, with the daily newspaper Asr-e Eghtesad proclaiming: ‘Iran’s diplomacy has blunted Trump’s blade.’
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani blasted Trump immediately after Tuesday’s speech: ‘Iran will be conferring with the world’s two super powers, Russia and China,’ he sniped, insisting that Trump’s ‘psychological war and economic pressures will not work’
The state-run IRNA news agency referred to Trump as ‘the troublemaker.’ Meanwhile, the hard-line daily Kayhan went with: ‘Trump tears apart the nuclear deal; It is time to set it afire!’
Trump said that the US now has ‘definitive proof’ that Iran was lying about its pursuit of nuclear weapons when it entered into the 2015 agreement.
And he threatened Tehran’s mullahs with new headaches if they resume their pursuit of a weapon of mass destruction.
‘If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before,’ the president warned. ‘It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.’
‘The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen: In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.’
Barack Obama and his former secretary of state John Kerry both bashed Trump’s decision, calling it unnecessary and wrongheaded.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani responded, telling his country’s state-run TV network: ‘I have ordered Iran’s atomic organization that whenever it is needed, we will start enriching uranium more than before.’
Rouhani said Iran would start ramping up production ‘in the next weeks.’
Former President Barack Obama defended his signature foreign policy achievement as Trump tore it down on Tuesday
Rouhani blasted Trump immediately after Tuesday’s speech.
‘Iran will be conferring with the world’s two super powers, Russia and China,’ he sniped, insisting that Trump’s ‘psychological war and economic pressures will not work.’
Leaders of America’s three staunchest European allies – France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Angela Merkel and the United Kingdom’s Theresa May – issued a joint statement asking the US not to do anything that would prevent them from keeping the nuclear deal intact even without Washington’s participation.
Iran ‘continues to abide by the restrictions’ of the deal,’ the three leaders said, citing a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding that ‘the world is a safer place as a result.’
‘Our governments remain committed to ensuring the agreement is upheld, and will work with all the remaining parties to the deal to ensure this remains the case including through ensuring the continuing economic benefits to the Iranian people that are linked to the agreement,’ they said.
The president has been outspoken for nearly three years about the nuclear bargain that he called ‘insane’ and ‘the worst deal in history.’
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, whose Cabinet department oversees economic sanctions against rogue regimes, said before Trump’s speech that ‘[w]e will continue to work with our allies to build an agreement that is truly in the best interest of our long-term national security.’
The United States, he said, will cut off Iran’s ‘access to capital’ to fund terrorism, ‘its use of ballistic missiles against our allies, its support for the brutal Assad regime in Syria, its human rights violations against its own people, and its abuses of the international financial system.’
Former President Barack Obama, whose administration inked the Iran deal, called Tuesday’s pullback ‘misguided.’
Walking away from the deal, he said in a statement, ‘turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated.’
‘In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers,’ he added.
Obama cautioned that the agreement ‘was never intended to solve all of our problems with Iran. We were clear-eyed that Iran engages in destabilizing behavior – including support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel and its neighbors.’
‘But that’s precisely why it was so important that we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,’ the former president said, articulating the central dispute in Washington over whether the deal was preventing Tehran’s nuclear weapons development or enabling it.
Former President Barack Obama published an impassioned defense of the Iran deal, one of his many signature accomplishments that the Trump administration has undone, on Facebook shortly after his successor spoke to the nation
Trump implied Tuesday that the Obama administration’s best intentions were always bound to be steamrolled by Tehran’s lies.
‘In theory, the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime,’ Trump declared.
‘In fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium, and over time reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.’
Trump said several times that the US will not under any circumstances allow Iran to join the ranks of nuclear nations – in no small part because of its belligerence toward America.
‘We will not allow a regime that chants ‘Death to America’ to gain access to the most deadly weapons on earth,’ he sad.
The president added that he is reimposing the highest level of sanctions on Tehran, and the US will punish any country that helps Iran in its quest.
‘America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail,’ Trump asserted in remarks from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.
National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters after Trump spoke that ‘we’re out of the deal.’
‘The only sure way to get on the path of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons and delivery capabilities is to get out of the deal, and that’s what the president has done,’ he said.
Bolton said at the White House that sanctions would be snapped back into place on a rolling basis, with some segments of the pre-agreement situation returning quickly and others coming back in a matter of months.
JOHN KERRY SAYS TRUMP’S DECISION ‘BREAKS AMERICA’S WORD’
Former secretary of state John Kerry, who helped negotiate the Iran deal in 2015, slammed Trump’s withdrawal as horrible foreign policy
‘Today’s announcement weakens our security, breaks America’s word, isolates us from our European allies, puts Israel at greater risk, empowers Iran’s hardliners, and reduces our global leverage to address Tehran’s misbehavior, while damaging the ability of future Administrations to make international agreements. No rhetoric is required. The facts speak for themselves.
‘Instead of building on unprecedented nonproliferation verification measures, this decision risks throwing them away and dragging the world back to the brink we faced a few years ago. The extent of the damage will depend on what Europe can do to hold the nuclear agreement together, and it will depend on Iran’s reaction.
‘America should never have to outsource those stakes to any other country. This is not in America’s interests. We should all hope the world can preserve the nuclear agreement.’
No new commercial contracts will be permitted between US trading partners and Tehran, he said.
But for existing contracts, ‘there’s a wind-down period to allow orderly termination.’
And on the question of whether Trump’s abandonment of the terms of the 2015 deal means the US is now in violation of it, Bolton responded: ‘No, I don’t think we’re violating, I think we’re withdrawing from it.’
Tehran says it’s unwilling to enter into a new agreement with the US that addresses Trump’s other complaints about the rogue regime’s behavior, including its illicit financing of terrorism.
‘That’s fine. I’d probably say the same thing if I were in their position,’ Trump said Tuesday. ‘But the fact is they are probably going to want to make a new and lasting deal. … When they do I am ready willing and able.’
Protesters stood outside the White House Tuesday as Trump announced the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal
It came as no surprise globally that Trump announced the United States’ withdraw from the pact he inherited from the previous administration. The big unknown was what would happen next.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation’s existence Iran threatens on a regular basis, called Trump’s decision a ‘historic move,’ and said leaving the Iran deal intact would have been ‘a recipe for disaster, a disaster for our region, a disaster for the peace of the world.’
He claimed Iran’s level of aggression has grown since the Obama-era deal – especially in Syria, where Tehran is ‘trying to establish military bases to attack Israel.’
The Israeli Defense Forces issued a warning just minutes before Trump broadcast his message.
‘Following the identification of irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria, the IDF has decided to change the civilian protection instructions in the Golan Heights and instructs local authorities to unlock and ready shelters in the area,’ the forces’ statement said.
‘The Israeli public should remain attentive to IDF instructions that will be given if necessary. Additionally, defense systems have been deployed and IDF troops are on high alert for an attack.’
Trump said the US would impose new sanctions on countries that help Iran in its quest for a nuclear weapon but did not say what he would do to companies that may have unrelated business deals with the Islamist nation.
White House legislative director Marc Short told DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning that the president ‘wants to see Iran end its nuclear program but also become a nation that is not funding terrorism, not attacking Israel not looking to continue to attack allies that we have.
President Donald Trump informed France’s Emmanuel Macron in a phone call this morning that he will pull the U.S. out the nuclear deal it signed onto three years ago after intense negotiations with Tehran
‘I think he’s looking for an agreement that brings Iran into the international community as opposed to being a rogue nation state that funds terrorism,’ Short said during a press scrum on the driveway leading into the West Wing.
Trump is anticipated to allow the oil sanctions that legally come up for discussion every 120 days under the deal to be reimposed on Tehran.
The sanctions cut Iran’s oil exports in half in 2012, Foreign Policy reports, and crippled the Islamic Republic’s economy.
European companies will have to choose, if the sanctions are slapped back on, whether they want to do business with the US or the taboo government, putting them in an undesirable position.
Trump is said to have informed Macron in a phone call that he would be pulling the US out of the nuclear deal it signed onto three years ago after intense negotiations with Tehran.
Trump teased his Iran deal announcement in a Monday afternoon tweet that provided no hints at what it would be
He told Obama era Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday morning that he needs to butt out – or else
Trump on Monday called Kerry’s intervention ‘possibly illegal’ and blamed him for the current arrangement that gave Tehran sanctions relief but would allow it to build nuclear bombs as soon as 2027
Kerry (left) is seen with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in 2016; Kerry met with Zarif last month for secret talks about how to undermine Trump’s bid to kill the nuclear deal
Trump at a news conference last month rebuffed a reporter who asked about potential military action against Iran.
‘I don’t talk about whether or not I would use military force,’ Trump said at a joint presser with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
‘But I can tell you this, they will not be doing nuclear weapons. That I can tell you. OK? They are not going to be doing nuclear weapons. You can bank on it.’
Netanyahu has been pushing Trump to take a more aggressive posture toward Iran, his nation’s most prolific antagonist.
Netanyahu delivered a presentation last week claiming Israel’s intelligence agency had proof that Iran ‘lied’ about its intention to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Trump complained about the nuclear deal consistently during his campaign and harangued it as a ‘very badly negotiated’ agreement in a tweet Monday that took aim at the secretary of state who helped to broker it.
The comment followed his remarks at a news conference alongside Macron that the deal was made ‘decayed foundations’ and was not structured to last.
‘Should have never, ever been made. I blame Congress. I blame a lot of people for it,’ Trump said.
Trump has until May 12 to decide whether he wants to allow a sanctions waiver that applies to Tehran to expire.
If the sanctions go back into effect, the US will be in violation of the agreement effectively ending its participation in the deal it entered into with the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.
Trump has said he would be willing to sign on to a companion agreement that encompasses the nuclear aspects of the current one and applies new pressure to Iran to abandon its ballistic missiles program, end terrorist financing and broker a peace agreement between the ruling government and rebels in Syria.
Kerry has also been meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (right) in attempts to salvage the Iran deal
Kerry could run afoul of the Logan Act, a 200+ year-old federal law that made it a felony for civilians to conduct foreign policy without authorization
THE FULL SPEECH: TRUMP PULLS OUT OF THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
‘My fellow Americans: Today, I want to update the world on our efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
‘The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. It exports dangerous missiles, fuels conflicts across the Middle East, and supports terrorist proxies and militias such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al Qaeda.
‘Over the years, Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemembers, and kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured American citizens. The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people.
‘No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them.
‘In 2015, the previous administration joined with other nations in a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program. This agreement was known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
‘In theory, the so-called ‘Iran deal’ was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime. In fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.
‘The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regime’s nuclear activity, and no limits at all on its other malign behavior, including its sinister activities in Syria, Yemen, and other places all around the world.
‘In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime — and it’s a regime of great terror — many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash — a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States.
‘A constructive deal could easily have been struck at the time, but it wasn’t. At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program.
‘Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.
‘The fact is this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will.
‘In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget has grown by almost 40 percent, while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond.
‘The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal’s sunset provisions are totally unacceptable. If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs.
‘Making matters worse, the deal’s inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating, and don’t even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities.
‘Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime’s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.
‘Finally, the deal does nothing to constrain Iran’s destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. Since the agreement, Iran’s bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen.
‘In light of these glaring flaws, I announced last October that the Iran deal must either be renegotiated or terminated.
‘Three months later, on January 12th, I repeated these conditions. I made clear that if the deal could not be fixed, the United States would no longer be a party to the agreement.
‘Over the past few months, we have engaged extensively with our allies and partners around the world, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We have also consulted with our friends from across the Middle East. We are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
‘After these consultations, it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.
‘The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.
‘Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
‘In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.
‘America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. And we will not allow a regime that chants ‘Death to America’ to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth.
‘Today’s action sends a critical message: The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them. In fact, at this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un. Plans are being made. Relationships are building. Hopefully, a deal will happen and, with the help of China, South Korea, and Japan, a future of great prosperity and security can be achieved for everyone.
‘As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat. This will include efforts to eliminate the threat of Iran’s ballistic missile program; to stop its terrorist activities worldwide; and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East. In the meantime, powerful sanctions will go into full effect. If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.
‘Finally, I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran: The people of America stand with you. It has now been almost 40 years since this dictatorship seized power and took a proud nation hostage. Most of Iran’s 80 million citizens have sadly never known an Iran that prospered in peace with its neighbors and commanded the admiration of the world.
‘But the future of Iran belongs to its people. They are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land. And they deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to God.
‘Iran’s leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal; they refuse. And that’s fine. I’d probably say the same thing if I was in their position. But the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able.
‘Great things can happen for Iran, and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East.
‘There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction. Let it end now.
‘Thank you. God bless you. Thank you.’