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International observers agree that Iran has complied with the 2015 deal to freeze its nuclear weapons program, so Donald Trump's aides strained to find a way for him to complain about the deal they still believe serves our national interests. The New York Times writes:
That solution was to declare that Iran was violating the “spirit” of the accord and that the entire agreement was no longer in the United States’ national security interests — even while acknowledging that Tehran had lived up to the letter of the agreement.
That gave Trump the opportunity to talk tough about Iran on Friday, calling it a "fanatical" and "murderous" regime with a "sinister vision for the future" while still punting responsibility for fixing the deal to Congress. That sure must have felt satisfying to self-declared "deal maker" who told America, "I alone can fix it."
In a speech that mixed searing criticism of Iran with more measured action, Mr. Trump declared his intention not to certify Iran’s compliance with the agreement. Doing so essentially kicks to Congress a decision about whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran, which would blow up the agreement. [...]
Mr. Trump said he would ask Congress to establish “trigger points,” which could prompt the United States to reimpose sanctions on Iran if it crosses thresholds set by Congress. [...]
Those could include continued ballistic missile launches by Iran, a refusal to extend the duration of constraints on its nuclear fuel production, or a conclusion by the United States’ intelligence agencies that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in less than a year.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis both
believe staying in the deal is in the best interests of the country. Their workaround for Trump feels like a delay of the inevitable, since asking the GOP-led Congress to accomplish anything that requires political dexterity is a road to nowhere. Stay tuned.