PREZ PULLS OUT OF ‘DEFECTIVE’ IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM PACT
Questions remain on countries that stay in
WASHINGTON — President Trump pulled out of what he called the “defective” Iran nuclear deal, citing evidence Iran has continued to work on its weapons program, and offering to negotiate a new agreement as Iran’s president threatened to resume uranium enrichment and cut a separate deal with other nations.
“The agreement was so badly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in a short period of time,” Trump said yesterday in an address from the White House.
“It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current deal agreement,” Trump said, cit-
ing Israeli intelligence as “proof” that Iran has not curtailed its nuclear ambitions. “The Iran deal is defective at its core.”
But Trump said he was “ready, willing and able” to negotiate a “new and lasting deal,” saying that “great things can happen for Iran.”
The move leaves other signers of the agreement, negotiated during the Obama administration, to determine if their continued participation puts them at risk of facing U.S. sanctions. White House officials said there will be a wind-down period for trade deals with Iran and U.S. allies, but after that they could face penalties for continuing to do business with Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued an ultimatum to the remaining countries in the deal: live up to their commitments or Iran will resume uranium enrichment “in the next weeks.”
Trump’s move drew mixed reactions on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Iran deal “was flawed from the beginning,” and he looked forward to working with Trump on next steps.
But Bay State U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern called Trump’s move “one of the most reckless and dangerous things he’s done since taking office.”
“You don’t burn down the house to remodel the kitchen,” said Bay State U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey. “Iran is now free to immediately restart high-level enrichment and nuclear activities without monitoring.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who opposed the Iran deal when the U.S. entered into it in 2015, said yesterday that it was not “a wise move” to pull out, especially given the upcoming talks with North Korea.
National security adviser John Bolton said it would bolster North Korean talks, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang yesterday to lay the groundwork for Trump’s potential meeting with Kim Jong Un.
“It sends a very strong signal that the U.S. will not accept inadequate deals,” Bolton said.
In a statement last night, former President Barack Obama called Trump’s decision “misguided,” adding that “the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.”