Summary

  • President Trump withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "decaying" and "defective at its core"

  • Trump signs a memorandum to immediately begin imposing economic sanctions on Iran lifted under the deal

  • The 2015 Obama-era pact restricts Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting economic sanctions

  • Companies doing business in Iran will be allowed up to 180 days to end contracts or face "severe consequences"

  1. 'US never adhered to its commitments'published at 19:50 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Iranian President Rouhani has just begun his televised remarks, condemning Trump's decision.

    In Iran, many are tweeting with the hashtag: #untr_US_table, in a play on the English word "untrustable".

    Iranians are posting that the US is yet again proving why Iranians shouldn't trust them.

    Iran and the US have a long history of mutual mistrust, starting from 1953 coup d’état, which helped overthrow Prime Minister Mosaddegh’s government.

    Now the US is willing to re-impose sanctions against Iran, Iranians see it as another opportunity to say the US is not trustworthy.

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  2. 'The worst possible scenario' for the dealpublished at 19:50 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet weighs in on the president's withdrawal.

    Media caption,

    "Trump chose the nuclear option" to wreck Iran deal

  3. US Ambassador Haley approvespublished at 19:48 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Nikki HaleyImage source, Reuters

    US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said "the president absolutely made the right decision".

    "This was a terrible deal that only allowed Iran’s bad international conduct to worsen," she said in a statement.

    "We must never allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, and we must resist their support for terrorism that continues to threaten America and our allies."

  4. Iran: Trump decision 'illegal'published at 19:44 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Iranian state television has said Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal is "illegal, illegitimate and undermines international agreements", Reuters news agency reports.

  5. Trump Jr congratulates dadpublished at 19:40 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

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  6. Pompeo: 'Sanctions will go into full effect'published at 19:38 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    PompeoImage source, Getty Images

    US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is due to arrive in North Korea in the coming hour, according to Trump, has just released this statement:

    "As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian threat.

    "We have a shared interest with our allies in Europe and around the world to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

    "But our effort is broader than just the nuclear threat and we will be working together with partners to eliminate the threat of Iran's ballistic missile programme; to stop its terrorist activities worldwide; and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East and beyond.

    "As we build this global effort, sanctions will go into full effect and will remind the Iranian regime of the diplomatic and economic isolation that results from its reckless and malign activity."

  7. Macron: 'We regret the US decision'published at 19:36 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Despite all the talk of a "bromance" between Trump and Macron on the latter's state visit to Washington, the French president and other European allies' mission to save the Iran nuclear deal failed.

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  8. 'How does this make America safer?'published at 19:34 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Trump in the White House fielding media questionsImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Trump reacts to a question about keeping the US safe following his announcement

    As he left the podium, Trump took a question from a journalist asking how the deal will affect US security.

    "How does this make America safer?" asked the journalist.

    "This will make America much safer," Trump responded.

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  9. Netanyahu 'greatly appreciates' Trump decisionpublished at 19:32 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Benjamin NetanyahuImage source, EPA

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "greatly appreciates" Trump's decision.

    Moments before Trump approached the White House podium, Reuters quoted Israeli officials as saying they had just spotted Iranian military movements in Syria.

    The Israel Defence Forces have reportedly instructed local authorities to prepare open shelters in the north following suspicious Iranian movements near Israeli-held Golan.

    The IDF has warned any aggression against Israel will be met with a severe response.

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  10. 'Embarrassment to me as a citizen'published at 19:24 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    "In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime - and it's a regime of great terror - many billions of dollars. Some of it in actual cash.

    He calls it "a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States".

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  11. Trump cites Netanyahu documents in decisionpublished at 19:23 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Benjamin Netanyahu.Image source, EPA

    "At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program. Today we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie.

    "Last week Israel published intelligence documents, long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime's history of pursuing nuclear weapons."

  12. Trump withdraws from dealpublished at 19:23 British Summer Time 8 May 2018
    Breaking

    Trump holds up signed documentImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Trump signed a document reinstating sanctions against Iran just after he announced the US would withdraw from the Iran deal

    Trump: "It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.

    "The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing we know exactly what will happen."

    He adds: "Therefore I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal."

    "We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States."

  13. 'Horrible, one-sided deal'published at 19:18 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Donald Trump at the White HouseImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the Iran deal

    Trump: "No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of developing that.

    "In theory the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies form the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime.

    "In fact the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and reach the brink of a nuclear breakout."

    He calls it a "horrible, one-sided deal".

  14. Iran's 'reign of chaos'published at 19:17 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Donald TrumpImage source, Pool

    Trump: "Over the years Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemen, and kidnapped imprisoned and tortured american citizens.

    "The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people.

    "No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them."

  15. Trump announces Iran decisionpublished at 18:58 British Summer Time 8 May 2018
    Breaking

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  16. 'That toothpaste isn't going back in the tube'published at 18:53 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    ThornberryImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry says Trump should stay in the deal

    Every Republican in Congress opposed the international accord reached under Obama three years ago. But some are now concerned that blowing up the pact will erode US credibility.

    Representative Ed Royce, Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned on Tuesday that tearing up the deal will not mean Iran paying back the $100bn in frozen assets it gained access to when it signed up.

    "That toothpaste isn’t going back in the tube," Royce said. "It also won't help galvanize our allies into addressing Iran's dangerous activities that threaten us all."

    Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake says if the US withdraws from the deal, America will no longer be "seen [as] a reliable partner".

    The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, has also warned Trump not to walk away from the deal.

    "I thought it was a bad deal," he said over the weekend.

    "But the key question is, ok, what happens next if the US pulls out? Does Iran kick out those inspectors so we lose the visibility we have?" he told Fox News.

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  17. Why Trump opposes Iran's missilespublished at 18:49 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    By Kasra Naji
    Special Correspondent, BBC Persian TV

    Missile fired in mountainsImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A long-range ballistic missile launched in northern Iran - one of three fired by Iranian armed forces in tests during 9 March, 2016.

    One of the problems President Trump has with Iran is its missile programme, which has been getting steadily more sophisticated over the years.

    The programme is run by the Revolutionary Guard, which has tested at least five new missiles since Iran and six world powers reached the agreement to curtail Iran's nuclear programme.

    The tests were the Revolutionary Guard's way of showing defiance in the face of an accord they saw as humiliating. In one of the tests, they even fired a missile with the slogan of "Death to Israel" written on its side in Hebrew, leaving no doubt about their wishes.

    Some of the missiles have a range of 2000km, which brings Israel within their range, and could technically be modified to carry nuclear warheads.

    In the Security Council resolution 2231 that enshrines the nuclear agreement, the wording is vague about Iran’s missiles. It calls on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

    But Iran says its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons. President Trump and his European allies want an additional agreement with Iran that curtails Iran’s missile programme.

  18. Netanyahu: Iran deal is 'cosmetic'published at 18:42 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a fierce opponent of the current deal, describing it as "cosmetic" and a "historic mistake".

    The Times of Israel, external reports that Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said: "The Iranians have already proved that they only understand threats and powerful force."

    Minister Yoav Galant said on Tuesday he hopes Trump will “make the right decision, pull out of the deal and renew sanctions".

    However, former head of Israeli intelligence disagreed with Mr Netanyahu, saying that Iran is "fully complying" with the accord.

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  19. Iran must react 'fiercely' to USpublished at 18:21 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Iranian lawmakers have said on state TV that parliament will let the government react "fiercely" if Trump goes ahead with "illegitimate demands" on Tehran, according to Reuters, external.

    "We parliamentarians, of different political affiliations, support the establishment's stance against renegotiating the (nuclear) deal. America cannot impose its illegitimate demands on Iran... and ignore Iran's rights."

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  20. Republican: 'Trump true to his word'published at 18:19 British Summer Time 8 May 2018

    Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a fierce opponent of the nuclear deal, tells a conservative radio show:

    "It should come as no surprise after 120 days when the President made this last decision in January, that our European partners not having come far enough, that the President will not waive sanctions under US law again."

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