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.
Former US Secretary of State John Kerry says that withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal "doesn't make sense."
Mr Kerry, speaking at a gathering on food innovation in Milan on Tuesday, said he challenges anyone to find an agreement tougher than the one in place now.
Mr Kerry said Iran cannot physically make nuclear weapons right now because it only has the 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of low-enrichment uranium allowed under the agreement.
Almost two-thirds of Americans — 63 per cent — believe that the US should not withdraw from the Iran deal, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
Only 29 per cent believe the US should withdraw, the survey of more than 1,000 people found.
The New York Times is reporting that President Trump has told French President Emmanuel Macron that he is planning on announcing a US withdrawal from the deal.
The United States is preparing to reinstate all sanctions it had waived as part of the nuclear accord — and impose additional economic penalties as well, the newspaper says - citing a "person briefed on the conversation".
Such a move could possibly explain why Mr Macron's office released such a short statement on the conversation with the US president.
Iran will react to President Trump's decision about the nuclear deal based on its own national interests, its deputy foreign minister has said.
"Iran is monitoring U.S. and European stance closely, and will react to US decision based on its own national interests," Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by news agency IRNA after a meeting with envoys from France, Britain, Germany and the European Union in Brussels.
The White House has said it is not commenting on the call between President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron or President Trump's decision on the Iran deal ahead of his announcement.
That announcement is set for an hour and 45 mins from now - 2pm ET/7pm BST
The office of the French presidency has walked back on that New York Times report of a US withdrawal, saying that Mr Trump gave no indication one way or the other during his call with Emmanuel Macron.
However, CNN are reporting that a French source describing the call as "very, very disappointing"
The Associated Press are now also reporting that Mr Trump will look to exit the deal:
President Donald Trump is following through on his campaign threat and withdrawing the US from the landmark nuclear accord with Iran.
AP cite two people familiar with the decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the record. The two people did not have any details on how the withdrawal would unfold.
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