What America Won’t Do after Withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal

Very few people in the world understand the content of the Iran nuclear deal, but now everyone knows America has withdrawn from it. People also know it is an agreement signed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, as well as Germany and Iran. The deal was recognized by the U.N., and yet, after America elected a new president, the deal was off. Regardless of the reason, the Trump administration’s action will diminish the reputation of the superpower he leads.

Apart from China, America, Russia and Iran, the other countries which signed this deal are all major European countries, and all of them opposed America’s decision. The Iran nuclear deal took two years to come to fruition and was no easy feat. The White House may have withdrawn from the deal because of domestic considerations, and President Trump never liked Iran, hence the action was taken without consideration for the consequences.

In addition to the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO, serious trade wars, etc., it can be said that today’s America has become a highly uncertain superpower. America has an intense drive and an unmatched willfulness, so the possibility that the country will take foolish action is growing ever stronger.

What exactly is the benefit for America in withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and renewing the imposition of sanctions on Iran? At the very least, the benefits are not as urgent or obvious as the immediately apparent drawbacks. Several Middle Eastern countries which oppose Iran welcomed Washington’s action, but this also impacted Pyongyang; even if North Korea did not express any reaction. Seeing how the new occupant of the White House easily withdrew from an international agreement has made North Korea feel less confident about the validity of signing anything with America.

After the Iran nuclear deal was first signed, many European countries tried to conduct business with Iran, and now America’s renewal of sanctions on Iran has put those companies at risk. The U.S. ambassador to Germany has already urged most American companies to leave Iran. America may not have asked other countries to nullify the Iran nuclear deal, but it has issued an indirect threat: any European company which refuses to support America could be sanctioned.

Perhaps this is how the White House wants to attack European business. Since it certainly doesn’t want American companies to do business in Iran, no one should have any business in Iran; European companies can’t benefit from doing business in that territory either.

Many European countries are American allies, but they are not acting to contain Washington’s wanton actions, and they cannot overpower the United States. On the Iran nuclear deal, the White House is not taking those countries’ opinions seriously, bullying them instead.

The Trump administration can behave so rudely to so many countries because the world is not united against Washington. America is not only the number one global power, it also has the most allies. For a long time now, the Arab world and European countries have not spoken with one voice when bullied or threatened by America. The old Europe vs. the new Europe, Sunni vs. Shiite, these have all presented opportunities for Washington to instigate conflict.

Perhaps Washington’s strongest motivation in leaving the Iran nuclear deal is weakening Iran. Iran has always been a Middle East force that the U.S. has trained its sights on. The current White House doesn’t want reconciliation, and believes attacking Iran could further divide the region, forcing other Middle Eastern countries to either fear or cling to America.

Iran will certainly use its own regional influence and launch asymmetrical retaliation against the U.S. Iran is less powerful than America, but it’s not the first time a small Middle Eastern country has made trouble for America. America and Iran, two old enemies, will now reignite the flames in the Gulf region.