Trump announces US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal

Despite the lobbying efforts of European allies, on May 8, US President Donald Trump officially announced that the US would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose economic sanctions. The unilateral decision of the US risks pushing the Middle East region into a new spiral of tension as Iran threatens to resume its nuclear program.

In his speech on the afternoon of May 8, US President Donald Trump criticized Iran for continuing to support terrorism, inciting violence throughout the Middle East and, most dangerously, its efforts to pursue nuclear weapons. Mr. Trump said that the nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 group under the Obama administration was a disaster, not bringing real results, not bringing peace and stability to the region. The US's agreement to pursue the above agreement will spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Therefore, the US will withdraw from this agreement and re-impose sanctions against Iran:

“Today, I am announcing that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Immediately, I will sign a memorandum to reimpose United States sanctions on the Iranian regime related to its nuclear program. We will pursue economic sanctions at the highest level.”

However, Mr. Trump also left open the possibility of negotiating a new agreement when linked to progress in the process of resolving nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula:

“While we are withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, we will continue to work with our allies toward a real, comprehensive agreement that fully addresses the Iranian nuclear threat. This agreement will include efforts to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its terrorist activities, and halt its malign activities in the Middle East.”

Immediately after Mr. Trump's announcement, former President Obama called this action a serious mistake, damaging the global reputation of the US. Meanwhile, US allies such as the UK, France, and Germany expressed their deep disappointment when criticizing Mr. Trump's decision and affirmed that they will continue to maintain this agreement.

On Iran's side, President Hassan Rouhani announced that the country could continue to pursue the nuclear deal without the presence of the United States:

“I have asked the Foreign Office to discuss with the EU, China and Russia over the next few weeks. After that discussion, if we find that the nuclear deal is in our full interest to work with all countries, then we will continue to maintain it.”

However, Mr. Rouhani also threatened that if the benefits are not guaranteed, Iran will make its own decision. The country is also ready to resume nuclear activities at an industrial level and could start as early as next week.

With the re-imposition of economic sanctions, foreign companies doing business with Iran will not be allowed to sign new contracts or reduce existing contracts in embargoed sectors for 90 to 180 days. After that period, if companies continue to do business with Iran, they will face sanctions from the US. Mr. Trump's withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal is considered to be the fulfillment of his commitment during the presidential campaign. However, this decision has not only caused a wave of controversy within the US but also pushed the Middle East region into new tensions by immediately escalating the risk of direct or indirect military conflicts at hot spots between Iran and its two main rivals, Israel and Saudi Arabia./.