| In a speech earlier today, President Trump announced he would not certify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal, and vowed to terminate it entirely if “many serious flaws” are not tackled.
The Treasury Department also enacted sanctions against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for providing support to terrorist groups, as well as for the activities of its external operations arm, the Quds Force.
Trump’s announcement opens up several possible scenarios:
- Congress could introduce legislation to re-impose sanctions
- The administration could focus on supplementing or reworking the accord in partnership with European allies
- The U.S. could withdraw, which many believe will lead to the accord unraveling.
Read the full brief for more domestic and foreign reactions to Trump’s announcement, as well as what “fixing” the deal may look like to the administration. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/trump-stops-short-pulling-iran-deal?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=7caf6a2d4d-TCB+Special+on+Oct+13+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-7caf6a2d4d-122492169
Expert commentary…General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and NSA:
- Why the decision to decertify the JCPOA? “Because, frankly, I think [the Trump administration] feared the Iranians were holding the nuclear deal hostage. So what President Trump did today was to disassociate ourselves from that hostage.”
Read more from Hayden on what signals this decision will send to both our allies and adversaries, and whether the U.S. will face any backlash in Iraq and Syria. Read all https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/iran-deal-trump-distances-obama?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=7caf6a2d4d-TCB+Special+on+Oct+13+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-7caf6a2d4d-122492169 |