Trump campaigned on pulling out of the Iran deal, this was baked in the cake a long time ago.
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The ease with which Trump can be manipulated is a real gift to certain foreign leaders. Remember when US foreign policy used to be decided in Washington, rather than Moscow, Riyadh and Tel Aviv?
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Probably part of it. Getting the west to remove sanctions (which only had teeth because because China adhered to the UN ones this time), and the expected monetary part of any peace agreements, I think are bigger factors. Remember that NK promised to end its nuke program in the past as well.
If we do actually invade/launch an attack, then I would agree with your assessment.
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Actually he wanted to re-negotiate the deal not to violate it.
Fuck him and the cake he rode in on.
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He made a lot of wacky promises during his campaign, and the entire international community (sans Israel) and all of his advisors have been imploring him since the election to either abandon this promise or try to improve the existing deal, so there was a good chance he’d maintain the deal and re-negotiate. Now that he’s fired those advisors and is listening to Bolton, he’s decided to keep that promise after all.
Despite whatever crazy language Donald uses to bash the deal, it’s done exactly what it was meant to do and has kept Iran from, um, having a nuclear bomb. They can do that now.
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Yeah, except one party has no grounds to “re-negotiate” a multilateral deal–the only way it would get it re-negotiated would be to blow it up in the first place.
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Not worse than Wilson declaring war on Germany in 1917.
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“There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons, or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. That’s why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the first place.”
“The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working – that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. The JCPOA is in America’s interest – it has significantly rolled back Iran’s nuclear program. And the JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish – its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea. Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes – with Iran – the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans.”
“That is why today’s announcement is so misguided. Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.”
“Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive. So it’s important to review several facts about the JCPOA.”
“First, the JCPOA was not just an agreement between my Administration and the Iranian government. After years of building an international coalition that could impose crippling sanctions on Iran, we reached the JCPOA together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, China, and Iran. It is a multilateral arms control deal, unanimously endorsed by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.”
“Second, the JCPOA has worked in rolling back Iran’s nuclear program. For decades, Iran had steadily advanced its nuclear program, approaching the point where they could rapidly produce enough fissile material to build a bomb. The JCPOA put a lid on that breakout capacity. Since the JCPOA was implemented, Iran has destroyed the core of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium; removed two-thirds of its centrifuges (over 13,000) and placed them under international monitoring; and eliminated 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium – the raw materials necessary for a bomb. So by any measure, the JCPOA has imposed strict limitations on Iran’s nuclear program and achieved real results.”
“Third, the JCPOA does not rely on trust – it is rooted in the most far-reaching inspections and verification regime ever negotiated in an arms control deal. Iran’s nuclear facilities are strictly monitored. International monitors also have access to Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain, so that we can catch them if they cheat. Without the JCPOA, this monitoring and inspections regime would go away.”
“Fourth, Iran is complying with the JCPOA. That was not simply the view of my Administration. The United States intelligence community has continued to find that Iran is meeting its responsibilities under the deal, and has reported as much to Congress. So have our closest allies, and the international agency responsible for verifying Iranian compliance – the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
“Fifth, the JCPOA does not expire. The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent. Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the JCPOA are permanent. Even as some of the provisions in the JCPOA do become less strict with time, this won’t happen until ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years into the deal, so there is little reason to put those restrictions at risk today.”
“Finally, the JCPOA was never intended to solve all of our problems with Iran. We were clear-eyed that Iran engages in destabilizing behavior – including support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel and its neighbors. But that’s precisely why it was so important that we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Every aspect of Iranian behavior that is troubling is far more dangerous if their nuclear program is unconstrained. Our ability to confront Iran’s destabilizing behavior – and to sustain a unity of purpose with our allies – is strengthened with the JCPOA, and weakened without it.”
“Because of these facts, I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake. Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East. We all know the dangers of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. It could embolden an already dangerous regime; threaten our friends with destruction; pose unacceptable dangers to America’s own security; and trigger an arms race in the world’s most dangerous region. If the constraints on Iran’s nuclear program under the JCPOA are lost, we could be hastening the day when we are faced with the choice between living with that threat, or going to war to prevent it.”
“In a dangerous world, America must be able to rely in part on strong, principled diplomacy to secure our country. We have been safer in the years since we achieved the JCPOA, thanks in part to the work of our diplomats, many members of Congress, and our allies. Going forward, I hope that Americans continue to speak out in support of the kind of strong, principled, fact-based, and unifying leadership that can best secure our country and uphold our responsibilities around the globe.”
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It looks amazing.
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I love that he’s pretending like Stuxnet wasn’t us. 
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I’m mildly surprised that he just outright violated the agreement, because if he really wanted to renegotiate, this was the dumbest possible way to do it - essentially guaranteeing that no new negotiation will take place, and everyone had been telling him so.
Actually, no, I take that back, I’m not surprised at all.
Well, given that Trump just violated a signed agreement - which had been held to by Iran - NK would be pretty dumb to make any agreement with the US that they expected us to uphold. Only by having nukes are they being taken seriously, so they have a strong incentive to not give those up, whatever happens.
It’s also, as a number of people, including Macron, have pointed out, about playing to his base here at home. So in that case, it doesn’t really matter what the reality is at all, so long as he’s taking decisive action. It can result in a total clusterfuck, but as long as he spins it to make himself look like the strong man, his base will eat it up.
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You have no idea how much worse this is for diplomacy.
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I know that’s their MO and don’t expect them to give up their nukes anyway. At the same time it makes it hard for the US to say it can hold up it agreements. Gwynne Dyer figures that Trump wanted to kill it because it was one of Obama’s successful achievements. Doesn’t hurt the oil industry either by keeping Iran out.
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IKR
I love the outing of Mattis. trump’s going to be pissed that he showed up in Obama’s statement.
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Trump has always been the kind of person who, when faced with unilateral opposition to a decision, will double-down rather than look weak. If a million people tell him his idea is wrong, rather than put a shred of doubt in his mind, it’ll make him feel that he’s the only smart person who sees the truth. Obama’s facts are correct: this is an objectively terrible decision.
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Thanks for sparing me to click.
I wonder how long they worked on this. As Melz said, not surprise, anywhere. We’ve seen it coming.
Even twitter isn’t overly excited. I looked. It’s just the usual. Everyone knew.
Fuck, this administration has normalised outrage so much that breaking a UNSC-backed arms treaty is just like one thing the US can do, like stupid handshakes and nazi-apologetics.
It is not.
Fuck this.
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BBC news tonight included a soundbite from someone whose name I missed saying they’d award Trumpty-Dumpty the Nobel Peace prize in a heartbeat if he obtained an identical agreement with N.Korea.
Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks.
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When will people learn that changing your reporting currency to Euros is just asking to get invaded a package of enhanced freedoms.
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