Trump Refuses To Certify Iran Nuclear Deal

Following through on his earlier promise, President Donald Trump on Friday at the White House announced that the United States of America will not recertify the Iran nuclear deal, describing it as one of the “worst and one-sided” agreements America has ever entered in to.

The deal implemented during the Obama administration with some key European signatories limited Iran’s nuclear capability in return for the lifting of some sanctions which included a freezing of financial assets, weapons sales and crude oil exports.

Trump blamed Iran for spreading “death, destruction and chaos all around the world” and also accused it of committing multiple infringements of the deal.

In addition, President Trump used his speech to criticise Iran’s non-nuclear activities, such as its ballistic missile programme, and support for Syria’s President Assad and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Today, I announced our strategy to confront the Iranian regime’s hostile actions and to ensure that they never acquire a nuclear weapon. pic.twitter.com/N4ISdjuEdC

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2017

The US leader argued further that Iran-backed attacks had killed many Americans over the years, and that the country had “harboured terrorists” after the 9/11 attacks.

However, the President’s decision not to recertify the deal does not culminate in an immediate phasing out of the pact, but will instead give Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions or modify the laws on America’s involvement in the pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

In a released statement from the White House prior to Trump’s address, the President said, “It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran’s government end its pursuit of death and destruction”.

Meanwhile, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has called on his colleagues to forge a better deal that empowers the United States. He said in a statement, “Lawmakers need to do now what we couldn’t do two years ago: unite around an Iran strategy that truly stops Iran’s nuclear weapons program and empowers the United States and our allies to combat the full spectrum of Iran’s imperial aggression”.