Trump's Iran Deal Announcement Draws Praise, Ire
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the US’s intention to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the July 2015 agreement between a US-led group of six world powers and Iran aimed at constraining the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. “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,” Trump declared. Moments later, he signed an order that ended the executive waivers needed to implement the nuclear deal, essential reimposing all US sanctions on Iran within 180 days. It’s unclear whether the agreement can survive without American participation, or what form the international effort to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon will take now that Washington is dramatically changing course.
The JCPOA was perhaps was the biggest priority of former president Barack Obama’s second term in office. Unsurprisingly, the former president is not a fan of Trump’s latest move. “Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated,” the former president stated in a lengthy Facebook post that outlined reasons for keeping the deal—Obama claimed that “Iran is complying with the JCPOA,” and that “the JCPOA does not expire.”
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