Allies regret Trump’s decision on Iran deal

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will withdraw his country from the Iran nuclear deal, a decision that immediately drew global frustration and outcry.

The pullout of the US from the deal, which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country limiting its nuclear program, risks sparking an arms race in the Middle East, experts said, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a televised speech from the White House, Trump announced the exit. He said that he will not sign the waiver of nuke-related sanctions against Iran, but re-impose sanctions lifted under the accord against Tehran and nations it has business links with. Trump repeated his rhetoric against Iran and the deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region. The JCPOA "allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium" and "lifted crippling economic sanctions" on Iran in exchange for "very weak limits" on its nuclear activity, "and no limits at all" on its efforts to expand regional influences, he said.

"The deal's sunset provisions are totally unacceptable," He said. "If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs."

The US will impose "the highest-level" of economic sanctions on Tehran, he said. "Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States."

As for the possible exacerbation of trans-Atlantic division over his decision, Trump only said that "we are unified in our understanding of the threat, and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon."