President Trump will recertify the Iran nuclear agreement for a third time during his tenure in the Oval Office, but warns Congress must address the terms of the deal before the next opportunity for recertification comes in just a few months. This means the deal stays in place.
"I have been very clear about my opinion of that deal. It gave Iran far too much in exchange for far too little. The enormous financial windfall the Iranian regime received because of the deal—access to more than $100 billion, including $1.8 billion in cash—has not been used to better the lives of the Iranian people. Instead, it has served as a slush fund for weapons, terror, and oppression, and to further line the pockets of corrupt regime leaders. The Iranian people know this, which is one reason why so many have taken to the streets to express their outrage," Trump said in a statement Friday. "Despite my strong inclination, I have not yet withdrawn the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. Instead, I have outlined two possible paths forward: either fix the deal’s disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw."
The President also laid out the future of the deal and the conditions for its survival.
"I am open to working with Congress on bipartisan legislation regarding Iran. But any bill I sign must include four critical components," he said. "First, it must demand that Iran allow immediate inspections at all sites requested by international inspectors. Second, it must ensure that Iran never even comes close to possessing a nuclear weapon. Third, unlike the nuclear deal, these provisions must have no expiration date. My policy is to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon—not just for ten years, but forever. Fourth, the legislation must explicitly state in United States law—for the first time—that long-range missile and nuclear weapons programs are inseparable, and that Iran’s development and testing of missiles should be subject to severe sanctions."
"If Iran does not comply with any of these provisions, American nuclear sanctions would automatically resume," he continued.
According to the White House, Trump will waive a series of sanctions related to the Iran deal while imposing others for bad behavior exhibited by Iran outside of the nuclear agreement. For example, on their trafficking of ballistic missiles into Yemen, which are being used to attack civilians in Saudi Arabia, and their continued support for Hezbollah terrorism around the world.
"The Iranian regime is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. It enables Hezbollah, Hamas, and many other terrorists to sow chaos and kill innocent people. It has funded, armed, and trained more than 100,000 militants to spread destruction across the Middle East. It props up the murderous regime of Bashar al Assad, and has helped him slaughter his own people. The regime’s destructive missiles threaten neighboring countries and international shipping. Within Iran, the Supreme Leader and his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps use mass arrests and torture to oppress and silence Iran’s people. Iran’s ruling elite has let their citizens go hungry while enriching themselves by stealing Iran’s national wealth," the White House released in a statement Friday afternoon.
"Last October, I outlined to the American people—and to the world—my strategy for confronting these and other destructive activities. We are countering Iranian proxy wars in Yemen and Syria. We are cutting off the regime’s money flows to terrorists. We have sanctioned nearly 100 individuals and entities involved with the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile program and its other illicit activities. Today, I am adding 14 more to the sanctions list. We are also supporting the brave Iranian citizens who are demanding change from a corrupt regime that wastes the Iranian people’s money on weapons systems at home and terrorism abroad. And crucially, we are calling on all nations to lend similar support to the Iranian people, who are suffering under a regime that is stifling basic freedoms and denying its citizens the opportunity to build better lives for their families—an opportunity that is every human being’s God-given right," the statement continues.
Trump also called on European countries to take a second look at the terms of the nuclear agreement and urged foreign leaders to counter Iranian aggression.
The recertification comes after two weeks of rhetoric from the Trump administration backing and supporting protestors in Iran against the regime.