Donald Trump refuses to certify Iran nuclear agreement, threatens to terminate deal
It is now up to the US Congress to decide within 60 days whether or not to pull out of the deal by imposing sanctions on Tehran once again.
United States President Donald Trump on Friday refused to certify that Tehran was complying with the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, and threatened to terminate the deal, BBC reported. He called Iran a “fanatical regime”, and accused it of sponsoring terrorism before refusing to sign on the nuclear deal.
As per the norms, the US president is required to certify every 90 days that Iran is adhering to the agreement. Trump has certified it twice in the past, however, he refused to do it the third time. Now, it is up to the Congress to decide within 60 days whether or not to pull out of the nuclear deal by imposing sanctions on Tehran once again.
Other signatories of the accord are Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
Speaking at the White House, the president proposed sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also claimed that Iran had “not lived up to the spirit” of the nuclear agreement.
“We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” Trump said. “In the event we are not able to reach a solution working with the Congress and our allies, then the agreement will be terminated. It is under continuous review, and our participation can be cancelled by me, as president, at any time.”
Iran reacts
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday accused Trump of making baseless accusations. He said Tehran would continue to remain committed to the deal, adding that the deal was not renegotiable.
“Today the United States is more than ever isolated in its opposition to the nuclear deal and in its plots against the Iranian people,” Rouhani said during a televised speech. “He has not studied international law. Can a president annul a multilateral international treaty on his own? Apparently he doesn’t know that this agreement is not a bilateral agreement solely between Iran and the United States.”