U.S. President Donald Trump will not certify that Iran is complying with the terms of a nuclear deal forged in 2015.
In a speech from Washington, D.C., Trump outlined a history of a “sponsorship of terrorism,” pointing specifically to attacks against the United States.
Trump said the deal was “one of the worst” and most “one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into” and argued the sanctions lifted by the deal gave the country’s leaders a “lifeline” when they were in financial trouble, which was used to fund violence and terrorism.
He said the deal delivered weak inspections in exchange for no more than a temporary delay in Iran’s path to nuclear weapons.
“Based on the factual record I have put forward, I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said.
He said his administration will seek to counter the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities and will impose additional sanctions to block its financing of terrorism. Those sanctions especially target Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The new strategy will also seek to address the proliferation of Iran’s missiles and weapons, he said, adding that the U.S. will deny Iran’s paths to develop nuclear weapons.
“If we are not able to reach a solution by working with Congress and our allies then the agreement will be terminated,” Trump said. “It can be cancelled by me, as president, at any time.”
Under U.S. law, Trump faced a Sunday deadline to notify Congress whether Iran is complying with the accord that was painstakingly negotiated over 18 months by the Obama administration and determine if it remains a national security priority.
Although Trump allowed that Iran is living up to the letter of the agreement, he said it was not following the agreement’s “spirit” of the regional stability it was intended to encourage.
“The longer we ignore a threat the more dangerous that threat becomes,” Trump said.
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