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Iran deal: Donald Trump withdraws US from nuclear agreement – live | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, condemned Trump’s decision to withdraw from the accord as “a grave mistake”. | |
“With this decision President Trump is risking US national security, recklessly upending foundational partnerships with key US allies in Europe and gambling with Israel’s security,” Menendez said in a statement. | |
“Today’s withdrawal from the JCPOA makes it more likely Iran will restart its nuclear weapons program in the future.” | |
Menendez also called on Trump to immediately dispatch his national security team to Capitol Hill to explain his administration’s strategy toward Iran before Congress. | |
Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, dubbed Trump’s announcement as “terrible news”.“Pulling out of the Iran deal is like a soccer player deliberately kicking the ball into their own team’s goal,” Murphy said. “There is nothing but downside for the U.S., especially since Trump has zero plan for what comes next.” Murphy added that Trump’s move would not only escalate nuclear crisis with Iran but also complicate negotiations with North Korea, stating: “It will make it even harder to convince Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons because we just showed that we can’t be trusted to live up to our end of a bargain.” | |
EU president Donald Tusk was also quick to release a statement promising a “united European approach” to Trump’s decision. | |
Policies of @realDonaldTrump on #IranDeal and trade will meet a united European approach. EU leaders will tackle both issues at the summit in Sofia next week. | |
Israel is reporting “irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria” and has deployed air defenses in the northern part of the country according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which released a statement: | |
Following the identification of irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria, the IDF has decided to change the civilian protection instructions in the Golan Heights and instructs local authorities to unlock and ready shelters in the area. The Israeli public should remain attentive to IDF instructions that will be given if necessary. | |
Additionally, defense systems have been deployed and IDF troops are on high alert for an attack. | |
The IDF is prepared for various scenarios and warns that any aggression against Israel will be met with a severe response. | |
The US State department has also issued a warning to US government employs not to travel to the occupied Golan Heights, where Israel and Syria share a border. | |
#GolanHeights Security Alert: Due to the recent tensions in the region, U.S. gov't employees are required to obtain advance approval if they wish to travel to the Golan Heights until further notice. Consider carefully travel to the Golan Heights until the situation stabilizes. pic.twitter.com/GRrT3s1hdW | |
French president Emmanuel Macron said the US’s European allies “regret” the US decision to exit the Iran nuclear agreement. | |
We will work collectively on a broader framework, covering nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle-East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. | |
France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake. | |
Trump has also abruptly announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be in North Korea in “probably one hour.” | |
Trump is using inflammatory rhetoric to describe Iran’s actions since the nuclear agreement was reached, including alleging that the country is building its nuclear program. | |
“Iran’s bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen,” Trump said. | |
But Iran has complied with the nuclear agreement since it was reached in July 2015, ending 12 years of deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear program. | |
“Powerful sanctions will go into full effect,” Trump said. “If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before” | |
Trump said he had a message for Iranian citizens. “The people of America stand with you,” he said. | |
Donald Trump said the US will exit the Iran nuclear agreement in violation of the landmark deal. | |
“After these consultations it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying, rotten structure of the current agreement,” Trump said. | |
Trump described the move as a “withdrawal,” which is technically incorrect because the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is not a treaty. The US can only abide by or violate the terms of the Iran accord. | |
Donald Trump has begun his remarks, describing the Iran agreement as “a great embarrassment to me as a citizen.” | |
“A constructive deal could have easily been struck at the time, but it wasn’t,” he said. | |
Trump is claiming that Iran is building a nuclear program, without providing evidence that this is true. “At the heart of the deal was a giant fiction,” Trump said. | |
Donald Trump is due at any moment in the White House Diplomatic Room to deliver remarks on the Iran nuclear agreement. | Donald Trump is due at any moment in the White House Diplomatic Room to deliver remarks on the Iran nuclear agreement. |
We’ll be reporting his statement live. | We’ll be reporting his statement live. |
Click here to follow along on the White House livestream. | Click here to follow along on the White House livestream. |
Trump is set to announce whether the US will violate or abide by the Iran nuclear agreement in ten minutes at the White House. | Trump is set to announce whether the US will violate or abide by the Iran nuclear agreement in ten minutes at the White House. |
In the days leading up to the announcement, the Observer revealed aides to Donald Trump hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a “dirty ops” campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal. | In the days leading up to the announcement, the Observer revealed aides to Donald Trump hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a “dirty ops” campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal. |
People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to “get dirt” on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama’s top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal. | People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to “get dirt” on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama’s top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal. |
The Observer article did not name the firm or say how much work was undertaken. However, following publication, Kahl said on Twitter there was “considerable evidence” that a person working for Black Cube had approached his wife last May. | The Observer article did not name the firm or say how much work was undertaken. However, following publication, Kahl said on Twitter there was “considerable evidence” that a person working for Black Cube had approached his wife last May. |
The Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube has denied it was hired by Trump’s aides to dig up damaging information on former officials. | The Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube has denied it was hired by Trump’s aides to dig up damaging information on former officials. |
A prominent Iranian-American supporter of the Iran nuclear deal also said he was warned by US intelligence during the presidential transition that his communications would be targeted by the Trump camp in a bid to discredit him. | A prominent Iranian-American supporter of the Iran nuclear deal also said he was warned by US intelligence during the presidential transition that his communications would be targeted by the Trump camp in a bid to discredit him. |
It’s rumored that Trump will not only discuss the Iran nuclear agreement at 2pm, but also have news on US relations with North Korea. | It’s rumored that Trump will not only discuss the Iran nuclear agreement at 2pm, but also have news on US relations with North Korea. |
Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, has warned the US Director of National Intelligence that exiting the nuclear agreement sends the wrong message heading into negotiations with North Korea. | Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, has warned the US Director of National Intelligence that exiting the nuclear agreement sends the wrong message heading into negotiations with North Korea. |
Pulling out of Iran Deal with no Plan B makes conflict with Iran more likely and means that America can’t be counted on to keep its word. It‘s also exactly the wrong move as we enter negotiations with North Korea.I asked the Intel Community to provide an assessment to Congress: pic.twitter.com/o70e6Z2PL8 | Pulling out of Iran Deal with no Plan B makes conflict with Iran more likely and means that America can’t be counted on to keep its word. It‘s also exactly the wrong move as we enter negotiations with North Korea.I asked the Intel Community to provide an assessment to Congress: pic.twitter.com/o70e6Z2PL8 |
Tensions are high in Iran, where the collapse of the Iran deal could have dire effects. | Tensions are high in Iran, where the collapse of the Iran deal could have dire effects. |
The Guardian’s Iranian correspondent, Saeed Kamali Dehghan, wrote about these implications earlier this week: | The Guardian’s Iranian correspondent, Saeed Kamali Dehghan, wrote about these implications earlier this week: |
The chances of a military conflict with Iran are not high for the moment, so long as Tehran has Russia’s backing. But the collapse of the deal would, even so, have terrible consequences. It would destroy the moderates and reformists in Iran for the foreseeable future. This is particularly important since the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is 78, and there has been speculation over his health. The time may soon come when a successor takes his place – the biggest political change in decades. Rouhani has already been under intense pressure from his opponents. The failure of the deal will only embolden hardliners, who are responsible for outrageous human rights abuses, such as the ongoing detention of dual nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. | The chances of a military conflict with Iran are not high for the moment, so long as Tehran has Russia’s backing. But the collapse of the deal would, even so, have terrible consequences. It would destroy the moderates and reformists in Iran for the foreseeable future. This is particularly important since the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is 78, and there has been speculation over his health. The time may soon come when a successor takes his place – the biggest political change in decades. Rouhani has already been under intense pressure from his opponents. The failure of the deal will only embolden hardliners, who are responsible for outrageous human rights abuses, such as the ongoing detention of dual nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. |
For Iranians, psychological impact of US pulling out of the nuclear deal is much bigger than its economic effect. They are exhausted at home by hardliners killing any hope for tangible reform, and squeezed abroad by a US bent on punishing them for choosing the right decision. | For Iranians, psychological impact of US pulling out of the nuclear deal is much bigger than its economic effect. They are exhausted at home by hardliners killing any hope for tangible reform, and squeezed abroad by a US bent on punishing them for choosing the right decision. |
These concerns are shared by other Iran observers, including Karim Sadjadpour, a Georgetown University professor and board member at the Center for Human Rights in Iran. | These concerns are shared by other Iran observers, including Karim Sadjadpour, a Georgetown University professor and board member at the Center for Human Rights in Iran. |
1. Thread: By withdrawing from the JCPOA Trump hastens the possibility of three disparate but similarly cataclysmic events: An Iranian war, an Iranian bomb, or the implosion of the Iranian regime https://t.co/wmqlPiDL8I | 1. Thread: By withdrawing from the JCPOA Trump hastens the possibility of three disparate but similarly cataclysmic events: An Iranian war, an Iranian bomb, or the implosion of the Iranian regime https://t.co/wmqlPiDL8I |
The Financial Times Najmeh Bozorgmehr wrote: “In my two decades of reporting on Iran for the Financial Times, I cannot recall such high a level of anxiety and disappointment among the business community, politicians, artists and ordinary people; all are concerned that reform in any field, from economic and social issues to domestic and foreign policy, might never happen. Public perception is even gloomier than the reality.” | The Financial Times Najmeh Bozorgmehr wrote: “In my two decades of reporting on Iran for the Financial Times, I cannot recall such high a level of anxiety and disappointment among the business community, politicians, artists and ordinary people; all are concerned that reform in any field, from economic and social issues to domestic and foreign policy, might never happen. Public perception is even gloomier than the reality.” |