Trump to Decertify the Iran Nuclear Deal—But Not Undo It

The US will remain in the agreement—for now.

Ron Sachs/ZUMA

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In a speech on Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump is expected to announce that he will decertify the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration, while stopping short of abandoning the agreement outright. The move will force Congress to decide whether to reimpose stricter sanctions on Iran.

The president will also reportedly ask lawmakers to change a rule in the agreement that requires the US to re-certify the deal every 90 days. According to officials who spoke to the Associated Press, Trump “hates the requirement more than the nuclear deal itself” because of its frequency.

Trump has come under intense pressure from lawmakers, his own national security team, and international heads of state to recommit to the 2015 accord, which is considered one of Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements.

“The exiting of the United States from such an agreement would carry a high cost, meaning that subsequent to such an action by the United States of America, no one will trust America again,” Iran President Hassan Rouhani said in September.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to pull the US out of the deal once he was in office.

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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