Trump Paves Way for De-Certification of Iran Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump has set the wheels in motion for his expected non-certification of the Iran nuclear deal in his latest attack on the Islamic Republic, accusing Tehran of backing international terrorism.
In a statement released by the White House Thursday, the Trump administration outlined its frustration with the 2015 deal and what it perceives as aggression from Tehran.
Read more: Iran Is Building Nuclear Submarines and a New Destroyer Despite Donald Trump's Warnings
"It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction," the president said in a press release, which focuses on denying Iran a path to the creation of a nuclear weapon and fighting proxy wars in the Middle East.
Trump is expected to speak at 12:45 p.m. EST further detailing Washington's maneuvers with regard to Iran.The president, both before he took office and and in the White House, has been deeply critical of the deal struck under his predecessor Barack Obama.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was made between then-Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in October 2015.
Under the accord, also agreed to by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the European Union and Germany, Tehran agreed to give up its nuclear weapons program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
While the previous administration considered the nuclear deal one of its greatest diplomatic achievements, Trump officials have criticized Iran for not adhering to the spirit of the deal.
According to the Guardian, which has been given the details of the speech, Trump will not ask Congress to reimpose sanctions, which could have caused the collapse of the 2015 agreement. However, he will recommend changes to legislation so that if Iran breaks the deal sanctions would be automatically reintroduced.
The president is also expected to introduce sanctions on members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and raise the issue of Iran's ballistic missile program as well as its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese Shiite Militia Hezbollah.
In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, Trump called the deal an embarrassment just ahead of discussions between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Zarif in New York to discuss the deal.
"Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it—believe me," Trump said. Iran, while condemning Trump over his bellicose rhetoric, has vowed not to break the nuclear accord.
If Trump decides not to certify the deal, it opens a 60-day window for congress to consider reintroducing economic sanctions. The White House and other opponents of the nuclear deal hope that enough political pressure will be placed on lawmakers to impose the sanctions in that space of time.
Reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have shown Iran continues to comply with the terms of the 2015 agreement but speaking at the end of the August, Tillerson said of the deal that while "perhaps the technical aspects have [been met], but in the broader context the aspiration has not."
In this most recent statement the White House has said "the Iranian regime has displayed a disturbing pattern of behavior, seeking to exploit loopholes and test the international community's resolve."
It added Iranian military leaders have stated publicly that they will refuse to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of their military sites.
