President Donald Trump repeatedly denounced Iran as a “rogue” and “fanatical” regime on Friday as he announced his decision not certify the nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration, accusing the country of sponsoring terrorist activities throughout the world. He also charged the Iranian government with committing multiple violations to the agreement, without providing evidence to back up those claims.
“We cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said in a speech from the White House. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror, and the very real threat of a nuclear breakout in Iran.”
“The regime’s two favorite chants are ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,” he added.
Trump says his new policy towards Iran will “ensure that Iran never, and I mean never, acquires a nuclear weapon.” https://t.co/D6dBhrNnNc pic.twitter.com/6593XDULyq
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 13, 2017
Trump’s refusal to certify the deal will leave it in the hands of Congress to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran—a move that would effectively tear the agreement apart. Shortly before the president’s address on Friday, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) unveiled a plan to address Trump’s complaints and eliminate the agreement’s “sunset clauses” that could allow Iran to resume some of its nuclear activities.
