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.
Such talk is coming thick and fast, with another senior Iranian official telling the Fars news agency that Iran will not be "passive" if Donald Trump pulls the US out of the nuclear deal.
President Trump is set to speak to France's President Emmanuel Macron in the next 20 minutes or so - with officials from France and the UK both having said how pessimistic they are about the prospects of the US staying in the nuclear accord.
While it can sometimes be difficult to ascertain what the White House will do until an actual announcement is made, Mr Trump is expected to end the waiver on US sanctions against Iran - with sanctions relief being the major upside to the nuclear deal for Tehran.
Britain is deeply pessimistic ahead of an announcement later on Tuesday about the United States' commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, a senior British diplomat told Reuters.
"Unfortunately we are deeply pessimistic ahead of President Trump's announcement later today. However, we will have to wait and see what exactly President Trump says tonight," the diplomat, who declined to be named, said.
"Our objective will remain to uphold and maintain the JCPOA (the nuclear deal). We will need to wait to understand what the US plan is to deliver on our shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and addressing their regional behavior."
The Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said the United States should continue to fix flaws in the Iran nuclear deal, and "enforce the hell" out of it, but not withdraw.
Ed Royce said tearing up the deal would not recover cash sent to Iran's government or "galvanize" allies into addressing Iran's dangerous activities.
"I fear a withdrawal would actually set back those efforts," he said in a statement prepared for a hearing on Iran.
It appears that European representatives are trying to ensure that there is no swift escalation in tensions whatever Mr Trump's announcement.
Envoys of France, Britain, Germany, the European Union and Iran have discussed the nuclear deal in Brussels, a German official said, ahead of an expected announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to pull out.
"We have been in the closest contact for weeks, especially with E-3 partners (France and Britain), from working level to foreign ministers," the official said.
"In the coming days, it will also be important to remain in discussion with all sides to avoid an uncontrolled escalation."
More from White House official Marc Short, who has been speaking to reporters about the nuclear deal:
"There’s no doubt that Iran has continued to cause a lot of problems across the Middle East. It certainly doesn't appear like they feel like deal binds them".
He added that Mr Trump wants to see Iran end its nuclear programme "but also become a nation that is not funding terrorism, not attacking Israel."
The president, Mr Short said, is "looking for an agreement that brings Iran into the international community."
Following the meeting between European officials and Iran, in a statement, the Europeans - including the UK, France and Germany - said they "used this opportunity to reiterate their support to the continued full and effective implementation of the (agreement) by all sides."
They are not expected to meet again after President Trump's announcement, but EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who helps supervise the deal's application, is likely to hold talks with many involved.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Mr Macron and Mr Trump have spoken about "issues relating to peace and stability in the Middle East". No doubt that would include Iran...
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