Trump withdraws from Iran nuclear deal

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Trump sees a major international policy that does inarguable good, which every other head of state strongly vouches for, whose terms are demonstrably being upheld and where ending it would cause catastrophic damage, both to the United States’ own interests and around the world – and promptly ends it, because it was established under Obama.

President Fuck-Up has reneged on the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr. Trump’s announcement, while long anticipated and widely telegraphed, plunges America’s relations with European allies into deep uncertainty. They have committed to staying in the deal, raising the prospect of a diplomatic and economic clash as the United States reimposes stringent sanctions on Iran.

It also raises the prospect of increasing tensions with Russia and China, which also are parties to the agreement.

In a joint statement, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany urged Iran to “continue to meet its own obligations under the deal,” despite the American withdrawal.

I have to admit, every time this administration does something moronic it still takes me a little by surprise. Given Trump’s volatility and impulsiveness, there’s always the feeble hope that this time he won’t do something colossally stupid. Of course, that hope is more often than not unfounded.

This is so monumentally idiotic and dangerous that words escape me. Nuclear watchdog groups both in the US and around the world have stated repeatedly that Iran is in full compliance with the terms of the deal, Trump’s ignorant blathering notwithstanding. Far from one-sided, the deal gave the US exactly what it wanted – hard limits on Iran’s nuclear program that effectively crippled the regime’s ability to develop nuclear weapons. Only a childish fool like Trump – and the hawks he’s surrounded himself with – could claim the US didn’t receive enough in exchange for relaxing its economic sanctions on Iran. Perhaps they think they can bully a rogue regime into giving the US everything it wants whilst receiving nothing in return? These people would be deemed childish even in a grade-school playground, and they’re at the helm international diplomacy for the most influential nation in the world.

The US’s decision to go back on the Iran deal will result in exactly two things: Iran will immediately jumpstart its nuclear program, undoing all the work and sacrifices made by every nation party to the arrangement; and no country will ever trust any agreement offered by the United States again, at least not as long as Trump is president. Quite the victory for the White House.

For all the disagreements I had with Obama – chief amongst them his warmongering overseas and his refusal to punish torture criminals at home – at no point was I worried the leader of the most powerful political and military force in history might heed the voices in his syphilitic brain and set the world on fire.