Calling it ''embarrassment'', Trump walks out of Iran deal

Washington, May 8

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pulled out of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, an Obama-era accord which he has repeatedly criticised.

"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent Iran's nuclear bomb. The Iran deal is defective at its core. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal," Trump said.

Moments later he signed a fresh set of sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Iran on its nuclear weapons programme.

Ever since his election campaign, Trump has frequently criticised the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.

France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 8, 2018

He had described the agreement, which was negotiated by then US secretary of state John Kerry, as a bad deal.

I am deeply concerned by today’s announcement that the US will be withdrawing from the JCPOA & will begin reinstating US sanctions, says @antonioguterres. Full text here: https://t.co/LqC2WFJfAC

— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) May 8, 2018

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) plus Germany and the European Union.

Trump's decision would have global ramifications, straining Iranian economy and heightening tensions in the Middle East. PTI