Reactions in the U.S. Following the Withdrawal from the Nuclear Agreement

The President of the United States announced on May 8 that the U.S. would withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimpose suspended sanctions against Tehran. The nuclear agreement was reached in July 2015 between Iran, the Barack Obama administration, Germany, France, China, the UK, and Russia. U.S. officials and politicians have reacted to the Trump administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA. Mike Pompeo: While we are withdrawing from the agreement with Iran, we will work with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and long-term solution to the threats posed by Iran. In a statement, Pompeo said that the U.S. would work with its allies to find a 'real and long-term solution to the threats from Iran.' He stated that U.S. actions and efforts are not solely focused on the issue and 'threat' arising from Iran's nuclear program, and that Washington aims to address 'threats' stemming from Iran's missile program and what it calls Tehran's 'terrorist activities' worldwide and the 'malign activities' of the Islamic Republic in the Middle East and beyond. Barack Obama, the former U.S. President under whose administration the nuclear agreement was reached, outlined six impacts of the nuclear agreement in a statement, stating that the JCPOA is a multilateral agreement that has significantly rolled back Iran's nuclear program, provided a comprehensive monitoring mechanism, has no expiration date, and U.S. intelligence agencies have confirmed Tehran's compliance with it, while also noting that it was not meant to resolve all issues between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic. The former U.S. President described Trump's decision as a 'mistake.' Obama: The nuclear agreement was not meant to resolve all issues between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic. Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the House, praised Trump's decision, stating, 'I have always believed that the best way is to address the shortcomings of this agreement. Unfortunately, we could not reach a common understanding with our European partners on this matter.' John Kerry, Secretary of State during Obama's presidency, stated, 'This decision undermines U.S. security and separates us from our European allies. It endangers Israel and strengthens hardliners in Iran, taking the world back to a point we were at several years ago.' Ted Cruz: All options for countering Iran and ensuring it never obtains nuclear weapons must be on the table. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, stated in a statement that 'the President's decision was certainly the right decision.' She added that the nuclear agreement was 'terrible' and 'only made Iran's bad international actions worse. We must never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and must stop their support for terrorism, which threatens the U.S. and our allies.' Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Minority Leader in the House, criticized Trump's action, stating, 'This decision, especially at this critical moment when we are trying to denuclearize North Korea, is clearly a meaningless, dangerous, and concerning decision.' Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Majority Leader in the House, praised Trump's decision, saying, 'This is what he promised during his campaign.' Robert Menendez, a senior Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned that Trump's decision to withdraw from the JCPOA is a 'big mistake' that endangers 'U.S. national security, the fundamental alliance with key European allies, and the security of Israel.' Republican Senator Marco Rubio stated that the nuclear agreement made the Iranian government a more dangerous regime in the Middle East. Since the JCPOA began, Tehran has increased its control in Syria and its influence in Iraq, aided the civil war in Yemen, created divisions among Gulf countries, and increased its assets with Hezbollah. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, stated that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA 'will lead to a global nuclear crisis.' Ted Cruz, the Republican senator, praised Trump's decision, stating, 'All options for countering Iran and ensuring it never obtains nuclear weapons must be on the table.' Kamala Harris, the Democratic senator, also stated that the nuclear agreement was not a comprehensive and complete agreement, but it was a tool to prevent Tehran's nuclear activities, and Trump failed to present any alternative plan. In this context, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA and is reinstating sanctions against Iran. Hassan Rouhani: The nuclear agreement will now be between Iran and five other countries. The U.S. Treasury announced the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran after 90 and 180-day periods. A statement from the U.S. Secretary of State followed the withdrawal from the JCPOA.