Trump decides: US withdraws from Iran nuclear deal

WASHINGTON, (Patria) - US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and that new sanctions will be imposed on Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

- The Iran deal is flawed at its core, and we know what will happen if we do not act. In a short time, the biggest sponsor of terrorism will have a nuclear weapon, he stated in Washington.

Trump stated that the deal "never brought peace and never will" and that the Iranians have built missiles that can carry nuclear weapons.

He added that "no action Iran has taken is more dangerous than its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.".

- This deal was supposed to protect the US and its allies, but it allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium, Trump said.

The US leader said during his address that he is ready, willing, and able to negotiate a new deal with Iran when that country is ready, and that Tehran will want a new and more lasting agreement.

Trump emphasized that he will impose the "highest level" of sanctions on Iran, and that they will come into full effect, while also threatening sanctions on other countries if they assist Iran.

He stated that "if the deal with Iran were allowed to stand, a nuclear arms race in the Middle East would soon begin.".

He also said that the deal with Iran lacks adequate mechanisms to prevent cheating.

Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Tehran would "overcome" any "problems" that might arise in the coming months.

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, stated on Tuesday that Trump's decision would only serve to unite the country on the path of the "Islamic Revolution, fully under the leadership of the Supreme Leader.".

Al Jazeera journalist Zein Basravi reports from Tehran that Iranian leaders are "very aware that at this moment, the fate of the nuclear deal is not in their hands.".

He added that Rouhani's administration, which supported the deal from the beginning of negotiations, is now in "damage control mode.".

Earlier on Monday, Rouhani said that the nuclear deal could be "even better" without US participation.

He added that Iran is ready to remain in the deal with Europe, Russia, and China if its "expectations" are met.

- From the very beginning, the US has tried to limit Iran's power, and today it is trying the same, whether it stays in or leaves the deal, he said.

A group of Iranian MPs announced on Tuesday that they would compel the country's government to react "fiercely" if the US attempts to impose its "illegitimate demands" on Tehran regarding the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian state television reported.

- We, MPs of various political orientations, support the leadership's stance that there will be no renegotiation of the nuclear deal. America cannot impose its illegitimate demands on Iran and ignore Iran's rights, the MPs stated in a letter addressed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reports.

Regardless of Trump's move, other parties to the Iran deal say they will not abandon it.

Difficult to maintain the deal without the US

In a statement on Tuesday, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany stated that they had met with Iranian officials in Brussels and reiterated their support for the "continued full and effective implementation of the deal by all parties.".

Adnan Tabatabai, an Iranian analyst and executive director of the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient in Bonn, believes it will be "very difficult" to maintain the deal without the US.

- The last few weeks have not been promising. A lot of political capital has been invested in keeping Trump in the deal. I fear that the Europeans cannot so easily provide the economic and political dividends that the Iranians are seeking, he points out.

According to the 2015 Vienna agreement, Iran reduced its uranium enrichment program and pledged not to work on developing nuclear weapons.

In return, international sanctions were lifted, and Tehran was allowed to sell oil and gas worldwide.

New sanctions on individuals and entities

However, secondary US sanctions remain in place.

But Trump has made several moves to block the deal.

In October last year, he refused to confirm that Iran was fulfilling its obligations and imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran.

On January 12, he announced that he was blocking US sanctions for the "last time.".

He added that if his demands "to fix the deal" were not met within 120 days, the US would withdraw from the agreement on May 12 or sooner.

Macron's office denies New York Times report

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron stated that US President Donald Trump gave no indication to Macron during a phone call about what his decision would be regarding the nuclear deal with Iran.

When directly asked by Reuters, Macron's office denied the New York Times' report that Trump had told the French leader that the US would withdraw from the deal.

Citing an unnamed source, claimed to be familiar with the content of the conversation between the two leaders, the American newspaper reported that Trump had informed Macron that he would announce the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

- The US is preparing to reimpose all sanctions that were waived under the nuclear deal, and in addition, impose further economic penalties, the source said.