Iran Nuclear Deal

President Trump is expected to invalidate the Iran-nuclear deal. The President believes Iran has not held up its end of the deal and has ultimately been able to avoid sanctions placed on the country. Many believe that the deal is so hopeless it isn’t worth trying to fix, and instead should be scrapped altogether.

Trump, however, has decided to decertify, not throw out, the deal. This political maneuver puts the deal in Congress’s hands – the President is following through on campaign promises by altering the deal, but is not putting any blame on himself if the changes go awry.

Some congressmen and organizations initially opposed the deal, including NY Senator Chuck Schumer and The American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Now, however, Schumer and the committee want to keep the Iran deal as they feel it has “curbed Iranian aggression in the region [Israel],” Shama said.

International leaders do not support Trump’s position and his handling this deal, notably EU countries such as England and France. This was a deal made internationally, not just between the U.S. and Iran, so backing out could leave behind harmful consequences contributing countries did not agree to.

Iran, however, has not crossed any line. They have been respecting the sanctions, according to European allies. Though they might be testing their limits, Iran hasn’t violated any laws, just the “spirit” of them, according to Trump.

It is a contentious time between Iran, the U.S. and other countries involved in the deal. The president will have to decide by Oct. 15, which serves as the next marker for Trump to certify that Iran is acting within compliance of the deal. Under the Iran nuclear deal guidelines, the president must do this every 90 days.