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Page added on May 8, 2018
Trump decides to exit nuclear accord with Iran
President Donald Trump plans to follow through on his campaign threat to pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, according to two people familiar with his thinking, dealing a profound blow to U.S. allies and potentially deepening the president’s isolation on the world stage.
Trump’s decision means Iran’s government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left of the deal. Iran has offered conflicting statements about what it may do — and the answer may depend on exactly how Trump exits the agreement.
The 2015 pact itself does not contain any provisions for leaving, but Trump was expected to re-impose most, if not all, of the sanctions on Iran that were eased under the deal. That would erase the economic benefits promised to Iran under the deal and be tantamount to the United States walking away.
It wasn’t immediately clear which sanctions would be slapped back on Iran and how quickly. But grace periods of a few months to half a year are expected to be granted so that businesses and governments can wind down operations that would violate re-imposed U.S. sanctions, the individuals said.
A slower withdrawal process could allow more room for Trump to reverse course later and decide to stay — if he secures the additional restrictions on Iran that European nations tried unsuccessfully to negotiate to prevent him from withdrawing. Indeed, as administration officials briefed congressional leaders about Trump’s plans Tuesday, they emphasized that just as with a major Asia trade deal and the Paris climate pact that Trump has abandoned, he remains open to renegotiating a better deal, one person briefed on the talks said.
The agreement, struck in 2015 by the United States, other world powers and Iran, lifted most U.S. and international sanctions against the country. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program making it impossible to produce a bomb, along with rigorous inspections.
In a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top diplomat, the deal’s European members gave in to many of Trump’s demands, according to officials, diplomats and others briefed on the negotiations. Yet they still left convinced he was likely to re-impose sanctions.
Macron was to have a conference call with British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about half an hour before Trump’s announcement.
Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping about his decision Tuesday. Macron vigorously supports the deal and tried to persuade Trump to stay committed to it during a visit to Washington last month.
The British Foreign Secretary traveled to Washington this week to make a last-minute pitch to the U.S. to remain in the deal, according to a senior British diplomat. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the British objective will remain to uphold and maintain the deal.
Hours before the announcement, European countries met to underline their support for the agreement. Senior officials from Britain, France and Germany met in Brussels with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Abbas Araghchi.
If the deal collapses, Iran would be free to resume prohibited enrichment activities, while businesses and banks doing business with Iran would have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S. American officials were dusting off plans for how to sell a pullout to the public and explain its complex financial ramifications, said U.S. officials and others, who weren’t authorized to speak ahead of an announcement and requested anonymity.
Building up anticipation, Trump announced on Twitter he would disclose his decision at 2 p.m. at the White House.
In Iran, many were deeply concerned about how Trump’s decision could affect the already struggling economy. In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani sought to calm nerves, smiling as he appeared at a petroleum expo. He didn’t name Trump directly, but emphasized that Iran continued to seek “engagement with the world.”
“It is possible that we will face some problems for two or three months, but we will pass through this,” Rouhani said.
Under the most likely scenario, Trump would allow sanctions on Iran’s central bank — intended to target oil exports — to kick back in, rather than waiving them once again on Saturday, the next deadline for renewal, said individuals briefed on Trump’s deliberations. Then the administration would give those who are doing business with Iran a six-month period to wind down business and avoid breaching those sanctions.
Depending on how Trump sells it — either as an irreversible U.S. pullout, or one final chance to save it — the deal could be strengthened during those six months in a last-ditch effort to persuade Trump to change his mind. The first 15 months of Trump’s presidency have been filled with many such “last chances” for the Iran deal in which he’s punted the decision for another few months, and then another.
Other U.S. sanctions don’t require a decision until later, including those on specific Iranian businesses, sectors and individuals that will snap back into place in July unless Trump signs another waiver. A move on Tuesday to restore those penalties ahead of the deadline would be the most aggressive move Trump could take to close the door to staying in the deal.
Even Trump’s secretary of state and the U.N. agency that monitors nuclear compliance agree that Iran, so far, has lived up to its side of the deal. But the deal’s critics, such as Israel, the Gulf Arab states and many Republicans, say it’s a giveaway to Tehran that ultimately paves the path to a nuclear-armed Iran several years in the future.
Iran, for its part, has been coy in predicting its response to a Trump withdrawal. For weeks, Iran’s foreign minister had been saying that a re-imposition of U.S. sanctions would render the deal null and void, leaving Tehran little choice but to abandon it as well. But on Monday, Rouhani said Iran could stick with it if the European Union, whose economies do far more business with Iran than the U.S., offers guarantees that Iran would keep benefiting.
For the Europeans, a Trump withdrawal would also constitute dispiriting proof that trying to appease him is futile.
The three EU members of the deal — Britain, France and Germany — were insistent from the start that it could not be re-opened. But they agreed to discuss an “add-on” agreement that wouldn’t change the underlying nuclear deal, but would add new restrictions on Iran to address what Trump had identified as its shortcomings. Trump wanted to deter Iran’s ballistic missile program and other destabilizing actions in the region. He also wanted more rigorous nuclear inspections and an extension of restrictions on Iranian enrichment and reprocessing rather than letting them phase out after about a decade.
Negotiating an add-on agreement, rather than revising the existing deal, had the added benefit of not requiring the formal consent of Iran or the other remaining members: Russia and China. The idea was that even if they balked at the West’s impositions, Iran would be likely to comply anyway so as to keep enjoying lucrative sanctions relief.
Although the U.S. and Europeans made progress on ballistic missiles and inspections, there were disagreements over extending the life of the deal and how to trigger additional penalties if Iran were found violating the new restrictions, U.S. officials and European diplomats have said. The Europeans agreed to yet more concessions in the final days of negotiating ahead of Trump’s decision, the officials added.
32 Comments on "Trump decides to exit nuclear accord with Iran"
Anonymouse1 on Tue, 8th May 2018 1:38 pm
amerika is a madhouse, run by the lunatics, an no, not trumpf, he is just their spokescreature. Everytime an official of the amerikan regime opens his or her yap, the only thing that falls out of it, are calls for war, sanctions, confrontation. To subvert, and topple governments. The aggressive and belligerent statements issued by the regime, are always accompanied by a litany of lies and falsehoods. It hardly matters if the lies and aggressive posturing, are announced by a crude, oafish buffon, or by the far more pleasing, smooth baritones of an obama-like figure. The uS regime is always attempting to increase tensions, war(spending) and and chaos, regardless of who nominally speaks for it any given moment in time.
The troll-like figurehead of the uS regime accuses the Iranian republic of plotting to destroy amerikan shities, I mean cities, with nuclear weapons. And that was just one of the many rapid fire lies he uttered.
The nation supporting terrorism, and threatening the world with nuclear weapons, is not Iran, it is the united snakes along with its masters in tel aviv and jew york city.
MASTERMIND on Tue, 8th May 2018 2:00 pm
Annyomouse
So true. Next the media will be saying that Iran said ‘They want to wipe Israel off of the map”…That is there go to argument for scaremongering!
MASTERMIND on Tue, 8th May 2018 2:21 pm
Poll: Less Than 1 in 3 Americans Support U.S. Pullout From Iran Deal
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/poll-less-than-1-in-3-americans-support-u-s-pullout-from-iran-deal-1.6072087?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Cloggie on Tue, 8th May 2018 2:29 pm
Pat Buchanan and by implication Infowars argue against trashing the deal:
https://www.infowars.com/dont-trash-the-nuclear-deal/
..... on Tue, 8th May 2018 3:17 pm
Nuttinyahoo and the syphilitic prevail again. The semites and prosemites really hate them persians and syrians, the least terroristical of the muzzies. Must be jealous of those blue eyes.
twocats on Tue, 8th May 2018 3:21 pm
“In a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top diplomat, the deal’s European members gave in to many of Trump’s demands, according to officials”
West can’t even agree among its selves. What about Russia, China, and oh yeah… Iran. What kind of message does this send to North Korea? The US BETTER build up its military – its soft power is almost extinguished.
joe on Tue, 8th May 2018 3:24 pm
Thing is this. Next step for the warparty is to accuse Iran of fast tracking a bomb now. They will argue that it’s important to take out Irans nuclear plants and facilities. Expect a US led stealth attack. Obviously Israel will attack all Iranian assets in Syria to provoke them and expect simultaneously that the Lebanaon elections will cause civil war. Isis will reemerged in Libya. The crux of this war will fall to Turkey. Which is where the next phase of this war will focus. Erdogan is both powerful but vulnerable now. Assad will be dead in months from now. Iran is not the sioux or cheyanne or even the Mexicans, the US breaking its word with them, will have serious results, not the least of which is that the US is focusing its entire middle east policy on Israel, the pariah state. The Saudis can at any time it chooses now approach Tehran and offer to become friends on its own terms. Expect the Saudis to double cross Trump. Trump might be the best recruiter Isis has ever had. The real winners from this will be Russia/China with higher oil prices, Putin can afford to spend allot of roubles in Syria.
Duncan Idaho on Tue, 8th May 2018 3:32 pm
Hint: Iran holds the trump cards—-
roccman on Tue, 8th May 2018 4:01 pm
Two breeds of humans on the planet – the mob and those in power. Iran bats for the home team – or those in power. This is just more two stepping wack a mole.
Norman Pagett on Tue, 8th May 2018 4:04 pm
the don must keep the makers of wartoys in business.
if the Iran threat dissipated, the need for increased armaments would diminish—this iswhy he will go to Korea, and walk out on that deal too.
Defence spending is all—hence the reactivation of the 2nd fleet—yet another manifestation of his delusions of military grandeur
add the pieces together and the trumpian jigsaw makes sense—at least to him.
but of course his delusions are based on an infinity of resources, namely oil.
but oil isnt infinite, the oilparty is effectively over–the shales can only last a few more years—already the usa is oil-bankrupt
and as that bankruptcy begins to bite, the current insanity of political body will turn on its own people, blaming them for inept governance
The American people have been promised an infinity of ‘more”—but there isnt any more
The End of More (Pagett Amazon) explains why
Sissyfuss on Tue, 8th May 2018 4:37 pm
Another swing of the wrecking ball against all things Obama. Trumps tenacity in destroying every last vestige of 44s legacy is truly remarkable. If he applied this much energy and will to MAGA he might actually accomplish something.
dissident on Tue, 8th May 2018 6:28 pm
Trump is threatening severe sanctions on any country that does business with Iran. Good luck getting Russia all afraid, dimwit. You can’t sanction the same target over and over. US sanctions on Russia since 2014 have been an epic fail that has resulted in a surge of local production in all economic sectors. Please bring more and more and more.
Putin and Medvedev played nice before by not selling Iran any S-300 systems. This time around don’t expect any concessions. Iran is not going to be softened up from some delusional air war. Netanyahoo is going to feel the pain if he assumes it will be a cakewalk.
MASTERMIND on Tue, 8th May 2018 6:45 pm
Donald Trump goes for global regime change
https://www.ft.com/content/4792d656-530c-11e8-b24e-cad6aa67e23e
MASTERMIND on Tue, 8th May 2018 6:54 pm
My Prediction
Financial catastrophe resulting from resource depletion and a debasement of value of fiat currencies. Then a 3-month window of tyranny and government lockdown on citizens, followed by a 3-month window of absolute carnage and death. Then, a period of about 6 months of slow die-off and that’s pretty much that. Oh, and starting sometime within the next 5 years or so…
https://imgur.com/a/pYxKa
MASTERMIND on Tue, 8th May 2018 7:00 pm
Trump is the fourth horseman of the apocalypse. He practices all the sins. Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, Banging porn stars etc. I’m an atheist but even I can spot a false prophet and an actual anti-Christ when it’s this obvious….
Bloomer on Tue, 8th May 2018 9:24 pm
If the President was a democratic and was caught boinking porn chicks.. the religious right would go apeshit.
As far as Trump tearing up the deal with Iran…it’s time Europe grew a set here. As long as Iran isn’t building nukes..trade between the Europe and Iran should continue. Trump and Bolton can fuck off.
dave thompson on Wed, 9th May 2018 4:08 am
The reason behind this chicanery is that just a while back Iran quit using the U$ dollar and went to the euro. HA HA how many times have we seen this ? Besides IRAQ? LIBYA? who else am I missing?
Davy on Wed, 9th May 2018 4:42 am
There is more to this than the Iran and the dollar. Iran is insignificant as far as the use of the dollar is concerned. Times have changed and so has the petrodollar and the dollar as a reserve currency. This is now the new normal of global central bank management. These new central bank activities trump all these previous dollar issues. We are too far into this new normal good and bad to go back also. Many don’t realize they are stuck with the dollar as the US is stuck with China and Europe.
You anti-Americans and anti-Trumpers fail to acknowledge Iran is up to no good. They may not be building nukes but I am sure they are ready. The biggest issue here is regional military activities. They are expansionary and significantly so. Iran is asking for trouble. I don’t agree with what Trump did but let’s show some balance. As far as Europe is concerned this is yet another example of Europe whining for business reasons. Trade with Iran is good for business and Europe is always whoring business instead of taking care of other business. If any of read deeper into this then you would see the return of sanctions is gradual allowing for negotiations. There is a 6 month window for all of this to be ironed out. The basics were achieved in the last agreement now the fine print that was disregarded at the first negotiations needs to be hammered out.
Theedrich on Wed, 9th May 2018 5:54 am
America’s real rulers again show who’s boss. As if we really needed the reminder. But the prospect of World War Three is so thrilling. And since our elites are all blind nihilists, the only appropriate view is, “What? Me worry?”
Of course, the reality is that the United States is shored up only by lots of high-tech toys and a fake economy based on over 20 gigabucks of unpayable debt. Threatening other countries with nuclear annihilation is its primary means of staying king of the hill. But beyond the ken of the Yankee mushrooms is the fact that the entire global system is becoming increasingly unstable for many reasons of all types, one of which is dog-wagging by IsItReal. And the Pied-Piper fantasy that lowering the mass IQ by mulattoizing the nation will bring utopia leads eventually to the Grim Reaper.
Yes, we need another war.
BobInget on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:14 am
My spokesperson, Mastermind, nails it.
BobInget on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:17 am
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/386854-trump-threatens-to-remove-news-networks-press-credentials-over
joe on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:30 am
Trump is showing a distinctive pattern of pulling the US out of international agreements. From TPP to Paris accords and now this, he really ploughing a new path. The question is whether or not a plan or doctrine is being followed. Certainly it is hard to determine. The pnac plan always envisaged splitting Iran into 3 countries. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem and meeting EU leaders seperate and individually shows how he wishes to proceed. The pnac plan calls for the US to focus on the south China sea, that means getting a peace deal done with dprk, plan going well so far.
BobInget on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:31 am
ChInda soaks up every drop Iran needs to sell.
Will we sanction UK, Fr, Germany, Japan, in short all our allies for doing bidness w/Iran?
Remember, Venezuela, China and India and Russia
had high hopes is all but out of action.
Bottom line, the world needs Iran more than Iran needs us.
US is further isolated. USD on the ropes.
ChIndia’s demand went up almost 2 Million barrels
this 2018.
MASTERMIND on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:31 am
Davy
Iran is up to no good…You sound like a paranoid loon. And you have zero evidence to support that, you blathering blowhard. get back to doing what you do best, pitching manure.
BobInget on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:34 am
Summary of Weekly Petroleum Data for the Week Ending May 4, 2018
U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged about 16.5 million barrels per day during the
week ending May 4, 2018, 75,000 barrels per day less than the previous week’s average.
Refineries operated at 90.4% of their operable capacity last week. Gasoline production
decreased last week, averaging over 9.9 million barrels per day. Distillate fuel production
remained virtually unchanged last week, averaging 5.0 million barrels per day.
.
U.S. crude oil imports averaged over 7.3 million barrels per day last week, down by
1,226 thousand barrels per day from the previous week. Over the last four weeks, crude
oil imports averaged about 8.1 million barrels per day, 1.0% less than the same four-week
period last year. Total motor gasoline imports (including both finished gasoline and
gasoline blending components) last week averaged 803,000 barrels per day. Distillate
fuel imports averaged 128,000 barrels per day last week.
U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve) decreased by 2.2 million barrels from the previous week. At 433.8 million
barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are in the lower half of the average range for this time
of year. Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.2 million barrels last week, and
are in the upper half of the average range. Both finished gasoline inventories and
blending components inventories decreased last week. Distillate fuel inventories
decreased by 3.8 million barrels last week and are in the lower half of the average range
for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories increased by 2.3 million barrels last
week, and are in the lower half of the average range. Total commercial petroleum
inventories decreased by 1.5 million barrels last week.
Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged about 20.3 million
barrels per day, up by 2.7% from the same period last year. Over the last four weeks,
motor gasoline product supplied averaged about 9.5 million barrels per day, up by 2.2%
from the same period last year. Distillate fuel product supplied averaged over 4.2 million
barrels per day over the last four weeks, up by 4.1% from the same period last year. Jet
fuel product supplied is down 1.5% compared to the same four-week period last year.
joe on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:36 am
Stormy Daniels is hot! Russian oligarchs company facilitated the hush money transfer? Trump might owe a favour to such a guy. The IRS might want to start looking into that companies other transactions……
BobInget on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:36 am
Comments?
Note, read the last paragraph FIRST.
Tells the entire story in nutshell form.
joe on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:44 am
Iran can’t build a nuke. They signed the NON PROLIFERATION TREATY. If they get a nuke they are screwed. Does anybody seriously believe Russia wants the mad mullahs armed with nukes?
Iran is not building nukes. It is entitled to have a nuclear programme under NPT, sadly Trump is tearing up treaties faster than Japan and Germany in the 1930s
Plantagenet on Wed, 9th May 2018 9:56 am
I don’t get what was so great about the Iran Nuclear Treaty.
The Iran Treaty allowed Iran to openly resume their nuclear weapons program in 7 more years. AND it didn’t allow inspections of military facilities. AND Israel just released 100,000 documents showing Iran has an active nuclear weapons program going on at its military facilities. AND Iran has a very active ICBM program designed to launch nukes.
Those things suggest the Iran nuclear deal was at best seriously flawed and at worst a complete sham.
Cheers!
MASTERMIND on Wed, 9th May 2018 10:05 am
In Sept 2002, then-former PM Benjamin Netanyahu told US Congress that there was “no question whatsoever” that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons. He said: “I guarantee you” that toppling Saddam would have “enormous positive reverberations on the region.”
https://twitter.com/mickbk/status/993895303085547522
Cloggie on Wed, 9th May 2018 11:14 am
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/us-botschafter-richard-grenell-kritik-in-berlin-an-tweet-zum-iran-a-1206960.html
US ambassador to Germany, 2 weeks in service, orders German companies per Twitter: “As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.”
German top-diplomat and former German ambassador to the US replied:
Ric: my advice, after a long ambassadorial career: explain your own country’s policies, and lobby the host country – but never tell the host country what to do, if you want to stay out of trouble. Germans are eager to listen, but they will resent instructions.
Hahaha.
Cloggie on Wed, 9th May 2018 11:18 am
In Sept 2002, then-former PM Benjamin Netanyahu told US Congress that there was “no question whatsoever” that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons. He said: “I guarantee you” that toppling Saddam would have “enormous positive reverberations on the region.”
Now the Iranian army is near the Israeli border and Turkey isn’t exactly the reliable ally it was in 2002. Not in a long shot.
Not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree, this Benny boy. Only oligarch Berezovsky was even dumber when he promoted Putin as his new puppet in 2000.