Trump: Iran Was on the Brink of Collapse, the JCPOA Saved It

The President of the United States sharply criticized Iran in three tweets within 12 hours, emphasizing that "Iran was on the brink of collapse, but the U.S. revived it with the nuclear deal: with $150 billion!" Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday morning, February 3, U.S. time, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached last July between Tehran and six world powers, including the U.S., under which Iran halted many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against it. Trump, who is opposed to this agreement, has repeatedly stated during his election campaign that it is the "worst deal ever" and that he would tear it up if elected president. While Republican opponents of the nuclear deal, including Trump, have claimed that the Islamic Republic had access to its frozen assets between $120 to $150 billion, Barack Obama's administration had reported this figure to be around $50 billion. Some Iranian officials have mentioned lower figures. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the money from Iran's oil sales is still being accessed by Tehran with significant difficulties. In another tweet regarding Iran, the U.S. President referred to the recent missile test by the Islamic Republic and reiterated the warning from his National Security Advisor. He wrote that "Iran has been officially put under scrutiny due to its ballistic missile test. They should be grateful to the U.S. for the bad deal they signed." The Iranian Defense Minister confirmed that Iran conducted a missile test but stated that this test does not violate the Security Council resolution or the JCPOA. Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor, strongly warned Iran on Wednesday evening, stating that "Iran has become bolder now," and "from today, we officially warn Iran." Late last night, U.S. time, the President tweeted again regarding Iran, this time accusing Tehran of trying to gain more control over Iraq. He stated: "Iran is rapidly gaining more and more control over Iraq even though the U.S. has wasted three trillion dollars in that country. It is clear this has been going on for a long time!"