John Bolton's Stated Rationale For Pulling Out Of The Iran-Nukes Deal Barely Mentions The Deal
Here is what John Bolton, Trump's foreign policy/ war mongering guru wrote in an Op-Ed at the Washington Post , in an article that purportedly gives the Trump administration's defense of ending the nuclear agreement with Iran.
THERE IS NOT A WORD IN THIS OP/ED THAT SAYS OR SHOWS THAT IRAN WAS IN VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT
What reasons does he give? mainly that Trump thought the agreement was bad, Israel didn't like it, and the Iranian regime are not good guys.
The vast majority of intelligent people believe that Trump wanted the agreement gone because it was Obama's agreement. Bolton's op/ed will do nothing to discourage such thinking.
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John Bolton is U.S. national security adviser.
On Tuesday, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the failed Iran nuclear deal. The president has famously referred to it as "the worst deal in history." Its very premise has been betrayed by its own abysmal track record over the past two years.
The theory behind the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was that the Iranian regime would, in the interests of its own people, trade its nuclear ambitions for economic incentives. But rather than focusing on behaving responsibly, Tehran has poured billions of dollars into military adventures abroad, spreading an arc of death and destruction across the Middle East from Yemen to Syria. Meanwhile, the Iranian people have suffered at home from a tanking currency, rising inflation, stagnant wages and a spiraling environmental crisis.
President Trump acted prudently. He spent more than a year studying the deal, soliciting information and assessments from within his administration, and consulting with our allies. He decided that this deal actually undermines the security of the American people he swore to protect and, accordingly, ended U.S. participation in it. This action reversed an ill- advised and dangerous policy and set us on a new course that will address the aggressive and hostile behavior of our enemies, while enhancing our ties with partners and allies.
The president's December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital illustrates the latter policy; it will come to fruition Monday with the U.S. Embassy's official opening in the Holy City. While some believe that Israel is an irritant that upsets the natural balance of power in the Middle East and that Israel's influence should be constrained, this president sees the enormous benefits the United States has reaped from our sustained relationship with Israel, as well as the opportunity to leverage this investment into greater cooperation to the benefit of both nations.
The recognition of Jerusalem and expeditious move of our embassy is a case in point - a physical demonstration of the U.S. commitment to Israel, which is in fact a commitment to our national security interests. Israel's recent revelation of a trove of documentation of Iran's past nuclear weapons program demonstrates that we share common enemies who do not differentiate between us, and we are safer together than we are individually. In addition, Israel is a dynamic economic powerhouse. While its population is
only one-tenth the size of Iran's
, Israel has a gross domestic product that is roughly equal to Iran's, and the annual flow of foreign direct investment in Israel is four times greater than in Iran. Closer economic partnership with Israel will only increase America's prosperity, which, as President Trump has pointed out, leads to greater security.
As part of the Iran deal announcement, the president also deliberately linked his withdrawal from the JCPOA to the ongoing negotiations with North Korea, announcing that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would soon be landing in North Korea. No one in the Trump administration has any illusions about the negotiations ahead. But President Trump also understands that North Korea has exhibited a wide range of unacceptable behavior, and its weapons of mass destruction programs pose an immediate danger to America and our allies. The president much prefers to handle these issues diplomatically. Since the earliest days of his administration he has established strong working relationships with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts to help do just that.
Moreover, President Trump has not shied away from our differences with China but has also resolved to work cooperatively with President Xi Jinping, who will also play a critical role in any resolution to the North Korean nuclear threat.
In all of these cases, President Trump has been willing to take unconventional action to turn momentum to America's favor. The Iran deal is not an inescapable trap - it's merely an inadequate deal that couldn't withstand serious scrutiny. The president's commitment to keeping his word is evident in his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital - something three previous presidents had promised but failed to deliver. And President Trump created the opportunity for direct negotiation with North Korea. While the future remains uncertain and challenging, one thing we know for sure is that the president will always put America First.
The writer is U.S. national security adviser.
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These people are a disgrace to this country.
Why did Trump leave the agreement? This is his spokesman on the issue, and Bolton does not mention one thing Iran was doing in violation of the agreement. WTF?
And you honestly think that Iran will actually live up to their "promises"? It's most like they are cheating even as we speak.
Please tell us why you think Obama's scam was a good deal. Wasn't it just an unenforceable non-binding "agreement" without any teeth, and that Iran had the right to limit and restrict inspections at their whim? Obama's and Kerry's position was so weak and milquetoast-ish, that they had to pay a ransom to get the travesty through??
Even the US admits that Iran was fully complying with the JCPOA.
When you look at Bolton's rationales, this is all neo-con "regime change" hogwash. This is Bolton's stock in trade. The nuclear agreement in place didn't give a lot of leeway to an attempt to change the Iranian regime, but if you tear up the agreement you can attempt to de-stabilize their government. That is what this is about. Of course, when that effort fails we will be left with just as harsh a regime as they have now, but with additional motivation to resume gathering the materials to build nukes.
This is Bolton's first real effect on things, and it is just the sort of war mongering direction everyone feared.
Remember the cons screaming about how great trumps tax cuts are and how thrilled the were with that extra whopping $20.00 a month? Any notice the price of gas since trump first said we were getting out of the iran deal?
Congrats, your idiot president just took back your 20 bucks and gave it to the big oil companies! Yay!
The US will simply ramp up production again to meet the demand.