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.
The United States will reimpose a wide array of Iran-related sanctions after the expiry of 90- and 180-day wind-down periods, including sanctions aimed at Iran's oil sector and transactions with its central bank, the US Treasury has said.
In a statement on its website and a related "frequently asked questions" document, the Treasury said sanctions relating to aircraft exports to Iran, the country's metals trade and any efforts by Tehran to acquire US dollars will also be reimposed.
In a joint statement, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal was a matter of "regret and concern".
Further East:
Saudi Arabia has welcomed Mr Trump's decision. "Iran used economic gains from the lifting of sanctions to continue its activities to destablise the region, particularly by developing ballistic missiles and supporting terrorist groups in the region," according to a statement carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television.
Trump took a brave and correct decision to cancel the nuclear deal with Iran, which was "a recipe for disaster," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
The Israeli leader, who has called for the deal between Western powers and Iran to be fixed or cancelled, spoke moments after Mr Trump announced his decision in a speech at the White House.
Mr Netanyahu said in a two-minute televised address in Hebrew and English that the current deal was "a recipe for disaster, a disaster for our region, a disaster for the peace of the world."
There was one surprise thrown into that announcement by Mr Trump, about North Korea:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was heading to North Korea on Tuesday to finalize details of a planned historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.
Mr Trump announced the mission just minutes before Pompeo arrived in Japan to refuel before flying on to Pyongyang, and as the president declared he was withdrawing from the Iran deal.
US officials say Mr Pompeo will press North Korea for the release of three detained American citizens, whose imminent release Mr Trump has been hinting at.
Mr Pompeo, who first travelled to North Korea as CIA chief in early April, is only the second sitting secretary of state to visit the reclusive nation.
“At this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un,” Mr Trump said at the White House.
“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,” he said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said the decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal was a matter of “regret and concern” but they remained committed to the accord.
They said: “It is with regret and concern that we, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom take note of President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States of America from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Together, we emphasise our continuing commitment to the JCPOA. This agreement remains important for our shared security.
“We recall that the JCPOA was unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council in resolution 2231. This resolution remains the binding international legal framework for the resolution of the dispute about the Iranian nuclear programme.
“We urge all sides to remain committed to its full implementation and to act in a spirit of responsibility.”
Former President Barack Obama, whose administration negotiated the Iranian nuclear deal that President Donald Trump has now withdrawn the US from, has responded to today's news.
Mr Obama said that Mr Trump's decision was "misguided", and said that the Iranian nuclear agreement is working.
"Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive," Mr Obama wrote in a note posted on Facebook. "So it's important to review several facts about [the Iran deal]".
Mr Obama continued to say that the deal had succeeded in rolling back Iran's nuclear program, noted that the deal doesn't rely on trust and is instead verified through inspections, said that Iran is complying with the deal, and said that — despite Mr Trump's assertions — the deal does not actually expire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he supports President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement.
Mr Netanyahu said the effects of the deal were "disastrous" and that it resulted in Iran "dramatically" increasing its aggression.
Democrats have said that President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US from the Iran nuclear agreement was a mistake that risks American national security.
"With this decision President Trump is risking US national security, recklessly upending foundational partnerships with key US allies in Europe and gambling with Israel's security," Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.
Check out our story below for more responses from Democrats in Congress.
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, has weighed in on the decision to leave the Iran nuclear agreement.
The deal's official name is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
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