President Trump on Friday announced that he will not certify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, effectively reversing U.S. policy and bucking Washington’s own allies. “Today I am announcing our strategy along with several major steps we’re taking to confront the Iranian regime’s hostile actions and to ensure that Iran never—and I mean never—acquires a nuclear weapon,” the president said in his address. “Iran is not complying with the spirit of the deal,” he claimed. Trump also announced new sanctions against Iran’s revolutionary guard, in order “to block their financing of terror.” The president gave Congress two months to amend the deal, likely including new sanctions, and said that if no new agreement could be reached, “the agreement will be terminated.” Trump’s own defense secretary, James Mattis, told the Senate last week that it is of “national-security interest” for the U.S. remain in the Iran deal.
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