Trump Pulls U.S. From Iran Nuclear Deal
President Trump declared on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, unraveling the signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama, isolating the United States from its Western allies and sowing uncertainty before a risky nuclear negotiation with North Korea.
The decision, while long anticipated and widely telegraphed, leaves the 2015 agreement reached by seven countries after more than two years of grueling negotiations in tatters. The United States will now reimpose the stringent sanctions it imposed on Iran before the deal and is considering new penalties.
Iran said it will remain in the deal, which tightly restricted its nuclear ambitions for a decade or more in return for ending the sanctions that had crippled its economy.
So did France, Germany and Britain, raising the prospect of a trans-Atlantic clash as European companies face the return of American sanctions for doing business with Iran. China and Russia, also signatories to the deal, are likely to join Iran in accusing the United States of violating the accord.Mr. Trump’s move could embolden hard-line forces in Iran, raising the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel or the United States, fueling an arms race in the Middle East and fanning sectarian conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
NEWS ANALYSIS
Trump’s Risky Bet That the U.S. Can ‘Break the Regime’
Mr. Trump’s decision is based on the idea that the U.S. and its allies can force a better deal through isolation and sanctions.
Angry and Divided, Iran Fears Deeper Crisis as Deal Ends
Iran’s economy was already in free fall. Now the deal that was supposed to lift barriers to the West is coming apart, too.