Trump abandons nuclear deal with Iran
President Donald Trump has pulled the United States out of an international nuclear deal with Iran.
It's a step that will raise the risk of conflict in the Middle East, upset America's European allies and bring uncertainty to global oil supplies.
Trump, speaking in a televised address from the White House, said he would reimpose economic sanctions on Iran.
"This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made," Trump said. "It didn't bring calm. It didn't bring peace. And it never will."
The 2015 deal, worked out by the United States, five other international powers and Iran, eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country limiting its nuclear program. The pact is seen by many in the West as a way to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
But Trump complains that the agreement, the signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama, does not address Iran's ballistic missile program, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 nor its role in conflicts in Yemen and Syria.
He also said the agreement did not prevent Iran from cheating and continuing to pursue nuclear weapons.
"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement," he said. "The Iran deal is defective at its core."
Trump said he was willing to negotiate a new deal with Iran, but Tehran already has ruled that out and threatened unspecified retaliation if Washington pulled out.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Iran will remain in the nuclear deal without Washington.
Iranian state television said Trump's decision to withdraw was "illegal, illegitimate and undermines international agreements."
Abandoning the Iran pact is part of Trump's high-stakes "America First" policy, which has seen the United States announce its withdrawal last year from the Paris climate accord and come close to a trade war with China.
Trump has attempted to erase major parts of Democrat Obama's legacy and last year withdrew from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Paris climate accord.
Renewing sanctions would make it much harder for Iran to sell its oil abroad or use the international banking system.
Published: by Radio NewsHub