Is the End of the Iran Deal Near?

Trump has continuously blasted Iran for violating the Iran Deal, an agreement he has also criticized heavily, and then his administration put the country “on notice” last week. 

Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security officer, announced last Wednesday that the U.S. government was “officially putting Iran on notice,” after “threatening friends and allies in the region” following another ballistic test.

Then Trump expressed similar sentiments. 

“Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!” tweeted the president last Thursday. 

He then addressed the country with stronger language by tweeting “Iran is playing with fire – they don’t appreciate how “kind” President Obama was to them. Not me!”

It looks as though Iran isn’t going to play nice.  

“Now Tehran is firing back, literally and rhetorically. This weekend, in a show of defiance, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards conducted military exercises, testing indigenous missile and radar systems,” write NBC News. “In addition, Revolutionary Guards Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh warned that if the country saw the “smallest misstep from [its] enemies, our roaring missiles will fall on their heads.”

Obama made a fatal mistake by allowing Iran to continue its quest to develop nuclear weapons. 

“Iran’s alleged quest to produce a nuclear weapon — which Tehran has always denied — has been curbed by the nuclear accord signed in 2015. But in the meantime it has developed missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases and allies across the Middle East and built a network of alliances that have turned it into the most powerful regional player,” writes The Washington Post. 

Although Trump has condemned the Obama administration for the Iran deal, Vice President Mike Pence said over the weekend that there have been no decisions made in regard to the Iran deal, but the new administration is still evaluating. 

“The Iranians got a deal from the international community that again, the president and I and our administration think was a terrible deal. It essentially allows Iran to develop a nuclear weapon — in the years ahead at a date certain. And they received hundreds of millions of dollars in cash” in exchange,” said Pence on an ABC News segment Sunday. “We’re evaluating that as we speak.”

But the truth is, Iran’s recent actions show that they are not going to comply with the U.N.

John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who was also considered for Trump’s secretary of state, believes that stricter sanctions won’t stop Iran.

“Iran’s continued missile testing on Saturday has given President Trump one more reason to tear up his predecessor’s deal with the regime in Tehran,” said Bolton. “Iran is not forbidden from engaging in all ballistic-missile activity, merely ‘called upon’ to do so.”

He points out that because of this, the country won’t stop.

“Every day Washington lets pass without ripping the deal up is a day of danger for America and its friends,” said Bolton. “We proceed slowly at our peril.”

Trump has proven that he isn’t “all talk and no action.” His recent comments show that he disapproves of Iran’s recent behavior and he isn’t going to let them get away with it.

Unfortunately, Obama’s mistake may forever make an impact. It isn’t going to be easy to find a way to sanction Iran appropriately.