Donald Trump: Exiting the JCPOA Sends the Right Message to North Korea

On Monday, April 29, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that "Iran is secretly building a nuclear bomb," stating, "What Israel has done is right and shows that I was 100% correct." In a joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, when asked if tearing up the nuclear agreement with Iran would send the wrong message to North Korea, Trump replied, "No. I think it actually sends the right message." The U.S. President said, "This agreement expires after seven years, and Iran can go and build a nuclear weapon. This is unacceptable. Seven years is tomorrow, which is unacceptable." He added, "I watched parts of Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference. Their work was good." Netanyahu presented what he called "documents and evidence" of Iran's secret nuclear progress and "deception of the world" by Tehran. According to Netanyahu, these documents include an archive of Iran's secret nuclear programs in the "Imad" project, which he described as "a major intelligence achievement" that "the world has never seen before." Trump continued, "This agreement is not supported by many; it is a disastrous agreement." Regarding what he would do about the JCPOA, he said, "We will see." He emphasized, "I think the events of today and the things we have learned show that I was 100 percent right." Trump reiterated, "This agreement is regrettable for the United States." Netanyahu's actions came 12 days before Trump's deadline to announce his decision regarding the JCPOA. On January 12, Trump stated that the "catastrophic flaws" of the JCPOA must be addressed, with a four-month deadline to meet U.S. demands ending on May 12. Alongside the U.S. President, Israel and Saudi Arabia are also serious opponents of the Iranian nuclear agreement. Last week, political leaders from France and Germany traveled to Washington to negotiate with Trump about the JCPOA. French President Emmanuel Macron stated last week at George Washington University, "Mr. Trump intends to free himself from this agreement due to domestic considerations." Iran and six world powers reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Tehran's nuclear program and lift its sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed Iran's compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA over the past three years, but the Trump administration claims that Tehran has violated the "spirit of the JCPOA" and has not played a positive role in establishing peace and stability in the region and the world.