Opinion

Trump Treats Foreign Policy Like Reality TV

The American is keeping everyone guessing about his decision on the Iran nuclear deal.

American president Donald Trump has made a decision about the future of the Iran nuclear deal — but he isn’t sharing it with anyone yet.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed on Wednesday that the president has made up his mind. But he also revealed that Trump had refused to share his decision even with America’s closest allies.

“Prime Minister [Theresa] May asked him if he would share it with her. He said no,” Tillerson said.

What is this, a cliffhanger?

Compliance

By all accounts, Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany signed with it in 2015.

The European Union’s foreign-affairs coordinator, Federica Mogherini, has counseled Trump against pulling out:

The international community cannot afford to dismantle an agreement that is working and delivering.

But Trump is unhappy with the deal for seemingly no other reason than that it was negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

His administration has put pressure on intelligence analysts to find evidence of Iranian noncompliance. No such evidence appears to exist.

October deadline

Trump is legally required to certify to the American Congress every three months that Iran is meeting its obligations. The next time he will have to do so is in October.

If he declares Iran noncompliant, lawmakers would have sixty days to restore sanctions.