Donald Trump to walk from Iran nuclear deal ignoring EU cries saying it’s ‘impossible’

A White House official said the US President would roll out a broader, more confrontational US strategy on Iran. 

Under the deal, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme in return for lifting most international sanctions that had crippled its economy.

But Mr Trump has described the pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as an “embarrassment” and “the worst deal ever negotiated”.

He met military leaders in Washington yesterday and told them: “We must not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.

“The Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed and chaos across the Middle East. 

“That is why we must put an end to Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions. They have not lived up to the spirit of their agreement.”

A US State Department official said Iran’s behaviour included ballistic missiles proliferation, support for terrorism, support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, unrelenting hostility to Israel, consistently threatening freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, cyber attacks against the US and its allies, human rights abuses and arbitrary detentions of US citizens.

He said: “The JCPOA was expected to contribute to regional and international peace and security, and Iran’s regime is doing everything in its power to undermine peace and security.”

The prospect of Washington pulling out of the pact, which was also signed by Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, the European Union and Iran, has worried some of the US allies that helped negotiate it.

An Brussels diplomat said: “We, the Europeans, we have hammered this: the agreement is working.

“We as Europeans, have repeated it’s impossible to reopen the agreement. Period. It’s impossible.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hoped Mr Trump would make a “balanced” decision on whether to remain engaged in the deal.

He said: “It is very important to preserve it in its current form and of course the participation of the United States will be a very significant factor in this regard.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month there was no alternative to the nuclear accord.

Supporters say its collapse could trigger a regional arms race and worsen Middle East tensions, while opponents say it went too far in easing sanctions without requiring that Iran end its nuclear program permanently.

If Mr Trump declines to certify Iran’s compliance, US congressional leaders would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the agreement.

Whether Congress would be willing to reimpose sanctions is far from clear. While Republicans, and some Democrats, opposed the deal when it was approved in 2015, there is little obvious appetite in Congress for dealing with the Iran issue now.