Donald Trump withdraws from nuclear deal with Iran
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President Donald Trump has pulled the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and is set to reimpose severe sanctions on Tehran, in a decisive break with European allies that could also bring a new crisis in the Gulf.
Mr Trump said the sanctions, which will violate the international nuclear agreement, would penalise Iran for what he described as “state-sponsored terror” in the Middle East, which works against the United States and its allies. The president said that "any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could be strongly sanctioned" as he signed an order that would re-impose sanctions on foreign countries that continue to do business with Iran.
In a speech at the White House, Mr Trump said the Iran deal was “decaying and rotten” and “defective at its core”. He cited the Iranian development of ballistic missiles – an issue not addressed in the deal – as a breach of the spirit of the deal by Iran, which he said has “murdered hundreds of American service members, and kidnapped, imprisoned and tortured American citizens”.
“I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,” Mr Trump said, undermining what had been the biggest foreign policy success for his predecessor, Barack Obama. Mr Obama called the decision "misguided" and a "serious mistake".
The decision follows weeks of speculation about what Mr Trump would do, as officials from France, the UK and Germany – the three European signatories on the Iranian deal – worked to try to convince Mr Trump to keep the agreement intact ahead of a 12 May deadline.
Mr Trump's decision means Iran's government must now decide whether to follow the US and withdraw or try to salvage what's left of the deal. Berlin, London and Paris have all the urged the US not to take any actions that could prevent them and Iran from continuing to implement the agreement.
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However, in Washington, the Trump administration said it would re-impose sanctions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down activity.
The US Treasury Department said there would be “certain 90-day and 180-day wind-down periods” but didn't specify which sanctions would fall under which timelines. The department said that at the end of those periods, the sanctions will be in “full effect.”
National Security Adviser John Bolton said nobody should sign contracts for new business with Iran.
It is not clear exactly what will happen to the Iran deal now that the United States is no longer a party, as those other countries and Iran may find a way to keep some semblance of the deal together. Iran's main regional rivals, Israel and Saudi Arabia, both praised Mr Trump's decision.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the deal could survive if Mr Trump pulls away, a statement that is buoyed by the fact that the thawed relations between Iran and Europe has allowed European entities to start doing business within Iran.
But while he appears willing to try and keep the agreement in place, Mr Rouhani said in the wake of Mr Trump's address that he has “ordered the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran to be ready to start the enrichment of uranium at industrial levels”, but added that he would “wait a few weeks” to start that enrichment so that Iran can speak to allies and the other countries in the deal.
“All depends on our national interests,” Mr Rouhani said of whether he will restart the enrichment.
There have been concerns from some in the US Congress and beyond that a decision to violate the Iran agreement would impact on the upcoming summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic programmes. Perhaps mindful of this, Mr Trump said during his announcement that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on his way to the North Korean capital and that he would arrive "very shortly". Mr Trump said that the two countries had already agreed on a date and location for the unprecedented summit, though he stopped short of providing details.
Mr Trump's national Security Adviser John Bolton said the Iran decision would not derail a parallel effort to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme, arguing that the abandonment of the Iran pact would strengthen America’s position by telegraphing that the US would rebuff unsatisfactory offers.
“I think the message to North Korea is the president wants a real deal”, Mr Bolton told reporters. “It sends a very clear signal that the United States will not accept inadequate deals”.
“Any nation reserves the right to correct a past mistake”, Mr Bolton added in reference to the Iran deal.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of Donald Trump's decision about whether he will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal or stay in and work with his European allies to sustain the agreement.
Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, has acknowledged the country could "face some problems" ahead of Mr Trump's planned announcement on whether America will pull out of the nuclear deal.
"It is possible that we will face some problems for two or three months, but we will pass through this," he said.
Iranian state TV is reporting that the country's central bank head believes a US pullout from the nuclear deal will not have a significant effect on Iran's economy.
The online report quoted Valiollah Seif as saying: "It doesn't have a significant effect."
However, many in Tehran and elsewhere in the country are worried about what Mr Trump's decision could mean for the country.
Already, the Iranian national currency, the rial, is trading on the black market at 66,000 to the dollar, despite the government-set rate being at 42,000 to $1.
Iran's poor economy and unemployment already sparked nationwide protests in December and January that saw at least 25 people killed and, reportedly, nearly 5,000 arrested.
The former Conservative leader, William Hague, has urged Mr Trump not to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal - saying it would "broadcast a message that Washington does not honour its word".
Mr Trump has branded the deal - agreed by his predecessor Barack Obama - as the "worst" ever backed by the US and will announce his decision on whether to back out of the plans later today.
The Kremlin has warned a "very serious situation" will emerge if Mr Trump pulls the US out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said "it goes without saying that there will emerge a very serious situation" should America pull out of the nuclear deal.
Russia was one of the powers involved in the pact, which saw Iran agree to limit its atomic program in exchange for economic sanctions being lifted.
Iran's parliamentary speaker has accused the United States of breaching its commitment to the nuclear deal.
"The Americans did not implement their commitments. It seems you can only speak with the Americans in the language of force, and there is no other solution," Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by the news agency IRNA.
Both sides have accused each other of ducking their commitments - but there has been no conclusive evidence put on the table to defend such claims.
But officials in Iran are using the wait for President Trump's decision to make clear that will the country will not accept any other restraints on its actions other than the nuclear deal signed in 2015.
"The European signatories are trying to persuade Trump to remain in the deal, but they should know that Iran will never accept any demand beyond the deal," an official told Reuters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
"Trump should know that he is responsible for all the consequences of the deal's collapse. Iran has always been committed to its international obligations."
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