Trump Gives Team 90 More Days to 'Deliver' on Iran Deal Renegotiation

What’s the story?

Despite his campaign condemnations of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former-President Obama, President Trump certified Iran’s compliance with the deal for the second time late Monday night, meaning the lifting of sanctions against the Middle East nation will continue. Trump has given his advisors until the next scheduled compliance deadline to ‘deliver’ on a new policy, reports the New York Times.

Why does it matter?

President Trump condemned the deal during his campaign and promised to end it. If he continues, albeit reluctantly, to support the deal, some argue he is betraying his base.

The deal is narrowly focused on lifting sanctions in exchange for Iran disbanding their nuclear program. President Trump is raising concerns about non-nuclear behavior (human rights abuses, ballistic missile development, etc.), which technically he can respond to with new sanctions separate from the nuclear deal. He just can’t reinstitute the same ones that existed prior to the deal. At the last compliance deadline new sanctions were instituted, but this time none were announced.

The deal has the support of multiple European nations, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, who participated in its formulation. Abandoning the Iran nuclear deal could further isolate America on the world diplomatic stage, especially follow the Trump Administration’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord.

Finally, the recent cease-fire in Syria brokered between the U.S. and Russia has raised concerns in Israel that Iran will become a stronger force in the Syrian conflict. Israel supports the expansion of U.S. sanctions to undermine Iran’s influence in the region. Administration officials have promised to address Israel’s concerns "directly".

What can you do?

Do you support the U.S. continuing to honor the existing Iran nuclear deal? Do you support additional sanctions to address non-nuclear concerns? Or do you think the administration should abandon the deal and start over from scratch?

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)