President Trump says Iran isn't 'living up to the spirit' of the nuclear deal

Just two days after the Trump administration certified that Iran is abiding by the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by former President Barack Obama, President Trump claimed that Iran isn't actually complying with the "spirit" of things. "Iran has not lived up to the spirit of the agreement," Trump said during a joint press conference Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Trump offered no evidence of Iran's failure to comply spiritually with the agreement, which calls for the country to roll back its nuclear programs in exchange for the reversal of sanctions, nor did he explain what spiritual compliance entails.
Trump promised his administration would have more to say in the "not too distant future." In a letter to Congress on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that while the State Department has certified Iran is holding up its end of the deal, there would be an interagency review of the agreement to determine whether it is "vital to the national security interests of the United States."
Trump on Thursday reiterated the deal was a "terrible agreement" that "shouldn't have been signed" and "shouldn't have been negotiated the way it was negotiated."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
America's favorite fast food restaurants
The Explainer There are different ways of thinking about how Americans define how they most like to spend their money on burgers, tacos and fried chicken
-
Law: The battle over birthright citizenship
Feature Trump shifts his focus to nationwide injunctions after federal judges block his attempt to end birthright citizenship
-
The threat to the NIH
Feature The Trump administration plans drastic cuts to medical research. What are the ramifications?
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6