Trump announces decertification of the Iran deal

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/ABC)

published 13 October 2017

On Friday, President Trump largely washed his hands of the nuclear deal reached with Iran, Russia, China, and three European countries under former President Barack Obama. "Importantly, Iran is not living up to the spirit of the deal," Trump said.

Trump has long railed against "the worst deal ever," grudgingly certifying Iran's compliance two times earlier this year. On Friday, Trump announced he is not certifying the deal again; he will leave it up to Congress whether to amend the deal.

Trump also ordered the Treasury's Office to sanction the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, an arm of the country's army, "for its support for terrorism." Iran expert Barbara Slavin told BuzzFeed News the decision is "reckless beyond the extreme," adding "that to designate the armed forces of another country as terrorists is to invite retaliation."

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"Would the designation mean that U.S. drone attacks on IRGC personnel are fair game?" she asked. "If so, expect to see Iranian proxies start killing U.S. military personnel again in Iraq or in Afghanistan or Syria." Watch Trump's comments below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.