"I am announcing that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal," President Donald Trump announced to a room of reporters at the White House today.
"America will not be held hostage by nuclear blackmail," he said.
The President announced that under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today, the U.S. will be "reinstating nuclear sanctions," at "the highest level of economic sanction."
Trump said other nations that help Iran in its nuclear pursuits will be punished.
How will this make America safer, a reporter asked when the conference ended.
"This will make America safer," replied a sedated-sounding President.
Asked by multiple reporters in the room for an update on the Americans held hostage in North Korea, Trump replied, "We'll soon be finding out."
LIVE: President Trump announces decision on Iran nuclear deal https://t.co/2LtqcyBq3t
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) May 8, 2018
Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will land in North Korea in about an hour and says the location, time and date is set for the meeting between himself and Kim Jong Un https://t.co/WjhDKGf2iJ
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 8, 2018
People will die as a result of this. Possibly a great many of them. https://t.co/GXXEGymwj8
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) May 8, 2018
Iran's president Hassan Rouhani is due to address the nation following Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions.
— Saeed Kamali Dehghan (@SaeedKD) May 8, 2018
BREAKING: Iranian state TV says Trump decision on nuclear deal is illegal, illegitimate and undermines international agreements pic.twitter.com/xz52RwItII
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) May 8, 2018
NEWS >> congressional sources tell @thedailybeast that Pompeo's trip to North Korea is in part an effort to free the 3 Americans imprisoned there https://t.co/DIGa9TRq84
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) May 8, 2018
Trump's merging two arguments: One against the initial deal, one for pulling out of it now. But even some major critics of the deal itself argue it's counterproductive to leave now that Iran has already received sanctions relief and allies are locked in.
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) May 8, 2018
Question that should have been asked before disastrous invasion of Iraq: WHAT COMES NEXT?https://t.co/Zhbck2W4L9
Q that must be asked about Trump's reckless Iran decision: WHAT COMES NEXT?
— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) May 8, 2018
"If I allowed this deal to stand there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," President Trump says, without addressing that the arms race could now accelerate without the deal.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 8, 2018
Remember how Trump ran against George Bush's use of doctored intelligence? https://t.co/AIZYpksFou
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) May 8, 2018
President Trump just announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on his way to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in preparation for a U.S.-North Korea summit expected in early June.
— NPR (@NPR) May 8, 2018
#Israel has instructed local authorities in the occupied Golan Heights to "unlock and ready bomb shelters", after identifying apparent "irregular activity of Iranian forces in #Syria"
— Danny Makki (@Dannymakkisyria) May 8, 2018
Trump: "At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction: That a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program. Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie." #IranDeal
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) May 8, 2018
Pres Trump calls Iran nuclear agreement a "disastrous deal." Says it does little to contain Iran's regime of "great terror" or its nuclear activity.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 8, 2018
Iranian television is broadcasting President Trump's announcement live
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) May 8, 2018
In withdrawing from deal, President Trump will say shortly: "We have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie," a White House official says. He will deliver a strong argument about Iran building its nuclear program, a point at odds with allies and many officials.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) May 8, 2018
Breaking propaganda exercise to create sense of Israel at imminent risk of attack by Iran despite total lack of evidence https://t.co/AFMwwBEPMo
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) May 8, 2018
Impossible to say but I think this is likeliest:
• Iran kicks out inspectors
• Euros don't sanction
• Iran rushes to within a screw's turn of a nuclear device
• Iran tests an ICBM
• Circa 2030, we negotiate a new deal. Iran keeps ICBMs and turnscrew nuke. Weak inspections.— Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) May 8, 2018
ANALYSIS by @sangerNYT: Trump is betting he can cut Iran's economic lifeline by dismantling the deal. That could free Iran to produce as much nuclear material as it wants, as it was doing five years ago, when the world feared it was headed toward a bomb. https://t.co/4TxnPCfEiW
— Lara Jakes (@jakesNYT) May 8, 2018
FYI trump is citing that report bibi ~unveiled~ last week but as many have pointed out, he revealed little that wasn't already known/no evidence that Iran was cheating on the deal https://t.co/7GV4WacTvB
— sara yasin ? (@sarayasin) May 8, 2018
it's a 2015 John Bolton op-ed made into a presidential speech
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) May 8, 2018
This all sounds like a predicate for war, starting with the mention of al Qaeda and the mention of Iran risking "bigger problems than it has ever had before."
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) May 8, 2018
The Bush administration at least felt the need to manipulate intelligence to bolster the case against Iraq.
Trump appears not to care that he has no evidence to back up his assertions. https://t.co/bveVggaOFe
— Emma Ashford (@EmmaMAshford) May 8, 2018
Gonna be useful for the hardliners once the Khamenei succession battle starts to play out. Also good for China. There's always winners and losers, I guess.
— Sander Wagner (@sanderwagner) May 8, 2018
This will have a remarkable effect on internal Iranian politics. Moderates lost. Zarif (educated in the US) the biggest loser. Hard liners will make a move now. Look out.
— Cal Perry (@CalNBC) May 8, 2018
