(VOVWORLD) -US President Donald Trump said he is pulling the US out of a historic nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions on Tehran. The decision, which he says is to protect US interests, has widened divisions between the US and the EU and degraded US prestige. It could push the Middle East to a crisis.
 US President Donald Trump announced to pull the US out of the JCPOA on May 8 at the White House.
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On Tuesday, Trump once again called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the former administration signed with Iran, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and China “a horrible deal” that brings no peace. He said the deal has failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorist groups.
Possible crisis in the Middle East
During his election campaign, Trump said the nuclear deal does not prevent, but simply delays Iran’s producing nuclear weapons. Few were surprised by Trump’s decision, but many regret his rejection of a deal that 7 countries spent 12 years negotiating.
Trump’s has, without citing any evidence, accused Iran of conducting a secret nuclear program. He says he will impose the "highest level" of economic sanctions on Iran, affecting finance, automobile manufacturing, and energy. The US sanctions will obstruct Iran’s petroleum exports. Iran is OPEC’s 3rd biggest oil exporter, supplying 4% of the world’s petroleum.
Iran’s opponents Saudi Arabia and Israel cheered the US for renewing sanctions on Iran. Israel said it totally supports Trump’s decision and thanked him for his brave leadership.
The rest of the world community think Trump’s decision will push the Middle East to a new crisis and worsen tensions in the region. One consequence could be a war with Iran, who says it will stick to the deal as long as cooperation with other countries benefits its stagnant economy. If not, Tehran is ready to resume industrial nuclear activities next week.
Degrading US prestige, deepening disagreement with the EU
The US’s withdrawal will make it more difficult for other countries to believe in its international commitments, considering the imminent US-North Korea summit. The US is isolating itself from the rest of the world. The EU is "determined to preserve" the Iran nuclear deal, which it considers a vital factor to ensure the world and Europe’s security. The US sanctions will affect the EU’s core interests and be a disaster for EU businesses who have massively invested in Iran in recent years. US relations with Russia and China, two supporters of the nuclear deal, will be strained.
Mr. Trump has offered to re-negotiate a new deal to comprehensively resolve Iran’s issue. But that’s an uncertain proposition given Iran’s categorical refusal to renegotiate.
Two years ago, the world cheered the signing of the JCPOA, a nice beginning for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide. No-one anticipated that the first country to renege would be the US.