After a campaign based on many threats and the past several weeks that signaled as such, Donald Trump has decertified the Iran nuclear deal otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or “JCPOA” putting its fate first into the hands of Congress. However instead of just simply putting the JCPOA ball in the court of the U.S. legislative branch, Trump added more shade to the situation when he basically stated that if he wasn’t satisfied with Congress’ solution, he would pull the United States out of the deal entirely.
Trump: “We cannot and will not make this certification. We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence…” pic.twitter.com/C43dus2IJw
— Axios (@axios) October 13, 2017
In addition to the announcement, Trump also outlined four main objectives when it came to Iran that include (via UPROXX):
- Working with allies to counter Iran’s destabilizing activity and support for terrorist activities;
- Block the financing of terrorist proxies and missions in the region;
- Address the Iran regime’s proliferation of missiles that hinder trade and navigation from other countries;
- Deny the regime all paths to a nuclear weapon.
Ironically, Trump’s decision to decertify the deal comes after certifying it twice over during the first nine months of his presidency. Today’s news also comes after both Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis already said Iran had been living up to the technicalities of the deal despite Trump continually reiterating that Iran hasn’t been “living up to the spirit” of the deal, whatever that means.
So where do we go from here?
Well, we’re more than likely heading down a road where the United States becomes more isolated on the World stage. Congress will either not do enough in Trump’s eyes and he’ll pull the United States completely out of the deal. The second scenario would be Congress imposing new sanctions on Iran therefore killing the deal in and of itself.
Either way, the European Union has decided to remain in the deal among other countries who originally signed the established documentation. As far as Trump – who did an excellent job with his further saber-rattling and brief history on the Iranian Republic – and the United States goes, you have to wonder what kind of precedent this sets when you’re trying to deal diplomatically with a country like North Korea who already has nuclear weapons. What incentive does the DPRK especially have to enter into any type of agreement with the United States?
