President Trump ended U.S. participation on May 8 in the Iran nuclear deal, saying it would have left the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism “on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.”
“This was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” the president said. “America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail.”
Trump signed an order immediately reimposing the highest level of sanctions on the Iranian regime and critical sectors of Iran’s economy. “Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States,” he warned.
The president said the U.S. and its allies “are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.”
He invited Iran’s leaders to renegotiate “a new and lasting deal.”
“The future of Iran belongs to its people. … They deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history and glory to God.” ~ President Trump
The United States, five other world powers and the European Union struck a deal with the Tehran regime in July 2015 to limit its capacity to develop nuclear weapons for up to 15 years.
Iran, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, agreed to ship most of its nuclear fuel out of the country and allow inspections, which Trump said were incomplete.
The White House said the re-imposed sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy such as its energy, petrochemical and financial sectors. It said the sanctions would allow those doing business in Iran a period of time to wind down operations in Iran or business with Iran.
It said that in addition to never developing a nuclear weapon, the Iranian regime must:
- Never develop any nuclear-capable missile and stop proliferating ballistic missiles.
- Cease supporting terrorists, extremists and regional proxies.
- End its publicly declared quest to destroy Israel.
- Stop threatening freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
- Cease escalating the Yemen conflict and arming the Houthis.
- End cyberattacks on the United States, Israel and other allies.
Iran must cease all its “malign activities,” including support for the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Shia militant groups and terrorists in Iraq, the White House said.
The president said he is “ready, willing and able” to make a new and lasting deal that would benefit all of Iran and bring peace and stability to the Middle East. “There has been enough suffering, death and destruction. Let it end now,” he said.
