Trump Claims to Have Decided on Iran Deal, Offers No Details

Senators Ask for Written Report on Basis for Trump's Decision

A mid-October deadline to decide whether or not to certify that Iran is complying with the P5+1 nuclear deal is fast approaching. President Trump says that he’s already decided what he’s going to say, though what that is remains a secret.

Trump has been overtly hostile to the P5+1 deal, and wanted to declare Iran in violation last time, even though the rest of the cabinet noted there were no actual violations. Trump at the time was very public about being unhappy with being forced to admit Iran was complying, and has suggested that would be the “last time.”

The assumption then is that Trump is either going to withdraw from the deal by falsely accusing Iran of a violation, or simply pick a fight with the other P5+1 members by demanding changes to the deal. Senators are already anticipating the problems related to either move, and are demanding a written report from the administration on what Trump is basing his decision upon.

It’s unlikely the administration is going to comply with requests by Congress for information, as Trump has been keen to keep his intentions secret on myriad issues. This is also likely to continue to prevent world leaders from contradicting any false claims that the White House is basing its decision upon.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.