Trump again blasts Iran deal
DANGEROUS INTENTIONS Decision to decertify the deal inked by President Obama would leave it at grave risk
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump again dismissed the Iran nuclear accord as “terrible” for America, as he prepares to announce a key decision on whether to certify Iran’s compliance with it.
“This is the worst deal. We got nothing,” Trump told Fox News, in reference to the 2015 accord negotiated with Iran by the United States and five other world powers.
It gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program in a bid to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. “We did it out of weakness when, actually, we have great strength,” said Trump.
“We will see what happens pretty soon,” said Trump, who must announce his decision on whether to certify Iran’s compliance by the end of the week.
Every 90 days, the president has to notify Congress as to whether he believes Iran is complying with the accord and if the lifting of sanctions is in the interest of the American people.
So far Trump has certified the accord but said the next deadline on Sunday is the crucial one.
Several US officials have said Trump might this time choose not certify the accord. If he chooses not to certify, Trump would be defying the opinion of some of his top advisers, European countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A decision by Trump to decertify the deal would leave it at grave risk, with the US Congress having 60 days to decide whether to re-impose specific sanctions on Tehran that were lifted because of the diplomatic pact.
‘NO PLANS TO BOOST SIZE OF NUCLEAR ARSENAL’
The Pentagon has no current plans to increase the size of the US nuclear arsenal.
In fact, it can barely sustain the existing force, which is decades old and is in some respects almost decrepit.
The arsenal is far from being in the “perfect shape” that President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants to see under his watch. That is why the government is planning to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on “modernization.”