Trump’s Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal: Its Reasons and Repercussions

There are many reasons why U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement. The primary reason is his so-called “Obama complex.” Since the beginning of his presidential campaign in 2015, Trump has focused his attacks against every one of his predecessor’s achievements, such as former President Barack Obama’s health care law, and signing the nuclear deal with Iran, as well as many others. Trump promised to undo all of these achievements. Since assuming the presidency, Trump has, on many occasions, gone off and repeated that the crowds at his inauguration were twice as big as those at Obama’s. However, according to media reports, attendance at Trump’s inauguration was estimated to be only half as large as the crowds at Obama’s inauguration. Trump’s hatred for his predecessor knows no bounds. According to a report by the London newspaper, The Guardian, "aides to Donald Trump, the US president, hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a 'dirty ops' campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal."

Recently Trump fulfilled his promise to withdraw America from the nuclear deal with Iran. The deal was signed on Nov. 24, 2013 by Iran and six other countries -- the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France) plus Germany. According to the deal, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment to peaceful purposes and to submit to international observation. In exchange, economic sanctions against Iran would be lifted. While this agreement was not ideal, Western leaders considered it the best possible outcome after a marathon decade of strenuous negotiations. No one was surprised that Israel and Saudi Arabia opposed this deal to the point of insanity.

Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement raised an outcry among world leaders. In particular, the leaders of the other five signatory countries were astonished by this disgusting behavior. The international criticism builds on the harsh criticism from Trump’s opponents in America, with former President Obama chief among them. Obama discussed the issue at length, describing Trump's decision to withdraw as a "dangerous error" and defending the agreement his administration negotiated and achieved. "Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East," Obama said.

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry likewise issued a statement criticizing Trump’s recent decision. Kerry participated in the negotiations leading to the nuclear pact with Iran. "Today's announcement weakens our security, breaks America's word, isolates us from our European allies," Kerry said.

European leaders Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Theresa May issued a joint statement confirming that "our governments remain committed to ensuring the agreement is upheld, and will work with all the remaining parties to the deal to ensure this remains the case including through ensuring the continuing economic benefits to the Iranian people that are linked to the agreement." The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini announced from Rome that the European Union "will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal" following Trump’s decision to withdraw from it.

Meanwhile, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani announced his country’s commitment to the stipulations of the agreement with the five countries after America’s withdrawal. Similarly, U.N. General Secretary António Guterres called for the other signatory parties to remain committed to their respective obligations following Trump’s decision to withdraw his country from the agreement. These united international positions in support of the agreement confirm that America is now isolated from the rest of the world and especially from its European allies.

It is worth noting that Trump’s very dangerous decision favors only Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates.

The majority of political leaders recognize that under the Trump administration, the United States has lost its credibility before the world. It appears to lack commitment to its decisions. This may damage the upcoming meeting between Trump and North Korea President Kim Jong Un in which the leaders will discuss concluding a similar agreement. Thus, the world was surprised by Kim’s unexpected visit to China for discussions with his counterpart Xi Jinping. They most likely discussed the summit and the feasibility of any agreement being signed with Trump.

The question here is why did Trump proceed with the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement? To what benefit? What did it mean?

The first reason is exactly what I pointed out in the introduction: the Obama complex. The only thing Trump wants is to oppose his predecessor in everything. Trump is obsessed to the point that he chases Obama’s name day and night, even when he’s sleeping.

Likewise, this withdrawal indicates that Israel is steering Trump and his administration. Iran inspires terror in Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, even though it is well known that Iran does not want to start a war with Israel – rather, the opposite is true! It is Israel that wants to ignite a new war against the Iranian military bases in Syria in addition to strikes against the Syrian forces. It is Israel that fights those who fight terrorism in Syria. This means that it is Israel and America who are the supporters of terrorism and who are using it to destroy Syria and other countries in the region.

Needless to say, this policy is part of the pressure exerted by the U.S., Israel and their Gulf allies against Iran, Syria and thus, Iraq. This pressure seeks to pressure these countries into adopting a policy of normalization with Israel.

The other great beneficiaries of Trump’s withdrawal are Western weapons companies – particularly American ones – which are already beating the drums of war. These companies are scaring the Gulf States with the prospect of a nuclear Iran boogeyman. They are using this fear to sell more weapons. This forces the rest of the countries in the region to squander their riches on an arms race rather than investing in human development and economic prosperity. Thus, it is clear that the American and Israeli goal is to keep the region’s populations lagging behind so that Israel can boast that it is the only prosperous democratic oasis in the heart of a desert of backward Arab dictatorships.