resident Donald Trump has finally made good on his threat to decertify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Despite warnings from his most senior national security officials — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster — Trump is determined to eviscerate the legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, global security be damned.
Trump’s decision flies in the face of eight reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming that Iran is adhering to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which went into effect in January 2016. It also puts the U.S. at odds with its European, Russian and Chinese negotiating partners, all of whom have reiterated the importance of the agreement for global security and nonproliferation.