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Summary

  1. President Trump withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "decaying" and "defective at its core"
  2. Trump signs a memorandum to immediately begin imposing economic sanctions on Iran lifted under the deal
  3. The 2015 Obama-era pact restricts Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting economic sanctions
  4. Companies doing business in Iran will be allowed up to 180 days to end contracts or face "severe consequences"

Live Reporting

By Max Matza and Ritu Prasad

All times stated are UK

US withdrawal reverberates across world

That's all for our live coverage on reaction to today's announcement on the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Follow more updates on the BBC News website.

Trump abandons Iran nuclear deal: What now?

Jonathan Marcus

BBC Diplomatic and defence correspondent

Some fear that Trump may have brought a new and catastrophic regional war in the Middle East that much closer.

An imperfect deal that was working

The deal was not perfect. It did not cover a range of worrying Iranian activities from its missile programme to its regional behaviour. At worst you could say that it simply delayed a potential crisis.

The inconvenient truth for Donald Trump is that, as far as it goes, the nuclear deal was working.

Dangerous path ahead

A battle will now be under way in Tehran, and who wins out will determine if the agreement can be saved.

Even those who agree with Mr Trump's actions are left with fundamental questions to answer.

Where is the "Plan B"? How is Iran now to be contained?

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Biden: Better deal is 'an illusion'

Joe Biden
Getty Images

Former Vice-President Joe Biden called Trump's decision "a profound mistake", saying it will only isolate the US while allowing Iran to gain "international sympathy while doing nothing to reduce its harmful activities".

Biden cautioned that the "unnecessary crisis" could lead to war with Iran.

"Talk of a 'better deal' is an illusion. It took years of sanctions pressure, painstaking diplomacy, and the full support of the international community to achieve that goal. We have none of that in place today."

"President Trump’s decision will do the opposite of what he says he intends. It will free up Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon...and it puts us at odds with our closest European allies."

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Iran: 'We will wait and see'

President Rouhani: 'Iran will wait and see how others react'

President Hassan Rouhani has responded to the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement by saying the country is on standby to resume uranium enrichment, but that he will allow a few weeks for dialogue with the remaining parties first.

US pro-Israel lobby supports withdrawal

The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby group, called for bipartisan support to ensure Iran will never "acquire a nuclear weapons capability or realise its dangerous regional ambitions".

The lobby group described the original deal as "critically flawed", and said Trump's decision provides a new way to address the shortcomings of the deal after "the international community’s inability" to do so.

"We must once again use the tools of American diplomacy and economic pressure to fix the deal’s shortcomings and counter Iran’s malign activities."

Why Trump ditched the Iran deal

Anthony Zurcher

BBC North America reporter

Trump holds up a signed presidential memorandum on Iran
EPA

Shredding the Obama legacy

Since his inauguration, Mr Trump has taken aim at practically every one of his predecessor's signature achievements.

A pivot to Netanyahu

Trump's shift to a more vehemently anti-deal view tracks closely with his full-throated support of Benjamin Netanyahu and the hardline Israeli side of Middle East peace negotiations, after earlier suggesting he could be an impartial "deal-maker" in the region.

New faces in the room

Where once the president may have been counselled to be cautious in abandoning US commitments to Iran, this time his instincts - an innate distrust of multilateralism in general and Iran in particular - appear to have been enthusiastically supported.

After 15 months Mr Trump has built a foreign policy team that is largely on the same page - his page.

Read the full story here.

Russia says Korean peace now in doubt

the Kremlin
Getty Images

Yevgeny Serebrennikov, first deputy head of the defence and security committee in the Russian Upper House of Parliament, told the RIA news agency that Trump's decision puts the Korean peace process in doubt.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to arrive in North Korea soon to help further pave the way for forthcoming talks with the isolated regime.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russian envoy to the European Union, separately told RIA that Russia will continue efforts to keep the Iran nuclear deal functioning.

Obama: Trump's 'serious mistake'

Obama visited Tokyo in March, where he met the Japanese Prime Minister
Getty Images
Obama visited Tokyo in March, where he met the Japanese Prime Minister

Former US President Barack Obama has just released a lengthy statement, calling Trump's decision "a serious mistake", and defending the agreement his administration helped negotiate.

"Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East," warns Obama.

He says the deal "is working", despite assessments by the current White House.

Obama calls it a "model for what diplomacy can accomplish - its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea".

"Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes - with Iran - the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans."

Here's his full statement:

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Israeli 'high alert'

Soldiers during a military drill
Getty Images
Israeli forces in the Golan Heights are on high alert after the US withdrawal announcement

Israeli forces in the Golan Heights remain on high alert after its military noted "irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria".

Local authorities have been instructed to "unlock and ready [bomb] shelters," Reuters reports.

The initial announcement came moments before Trump's speech.

After Trump's address, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said:

"For months now, Iran has been transferring lethal weaponry to its forces in Syria, with the purpose of striking at Israel... We will respond mightily to any attack on our territory."

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Who's celebrating?

Paul Danahar

BBC Washington bureau chief

If they drank champagne in Saudi Arabia they would have been clinking glasses in Riyadh over President Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear deal with Tehran.

It means Saudi's biggest regional rival gets a financial kicking and Saudi Arabia gets to cash the cheque because the move is bound to spike oil prices.

The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also has reasons to celebrate. He was widely derided last week by EU diplomats for a presentation in which he claimed his agents had stolen new evidence showing Iranian duplicity.

It was old news on a new wrapper but Trump not only bought it, he cited it as proof he was right to leave the agreement.

Ironically the only other players in the Middle East who’ll be super happy with Trump’s move are those in Iran who chant: "Death to America."

The hardliners hated the deal and they’ll use its collapse to undermine the more moderate forces in the country who'd championed it.

President Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office in March
Getty Images
Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office in March

Europe calls on Iran to uphold deal

Macron (left), May, and Merkel
Reuters

UK Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised their "continuing commitment" to the deal in a joint statement.

"We encourage Iran to show restraint in response to the decision by the US; Iran must continue to meet its own obligations under the deal, co-operating fully and in a timely manner."

EU High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini
EPA

EU High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini said in a statement as long as Iran remained committed, the EU would also continue "full and effective implementation" of the deal.

To Iran's citizens, Mogherini said: "Do not let anyone dismantle this agreement. It is one of the biggest achievements diplomacy has ever delivered."

European Council president Donald Tusk also weighed in on Twitter.

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Kerry: 'Decision isolates us from allies'

Kerry
Getty Images

Obama era Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the original deal, issued a statement criticising Trump's decision.

He says it risks "dragging the world back to the brink we faced a few years ago".

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Yesterday, Trump slammed Kerry for engaging in "shadow diplomacy" in order to try to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.

Last month, Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the United Nations in New York.

He also met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

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UN scrambles to prop up deal

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Getty Images
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is visiting Cuba today

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he is deeply concerned by the US decision to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal, and calls on all other parties to fully abide by deal’s commitments.

"It is essential that all concerns regarding the implementation of the Plan be addressed through the mechanisms established in the JCPOA," he said.

Trump announces US withdrawal

Iran nuclear deal: Trump announces US withdrawal

Congress asks 'what comes next'

The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan is at the US Congress speaking with lawmakers about what comes next.

Many have expressed concern about where this leaves the US from a national security perspective, and what consequence this decision will have on relationships with US allies.

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In a statement, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said Trump's motivation for withdrawing was simple.

“Everything President Obama has done, this president wants to undo."

Paul Ryan: 'The president is right'

Paul Ryan
EPA
House Speaker Paul Ryan called the Iran deal "deeply flawed" while expressing his support for Trump's decision

Top Republican Paul Ryan released a statement calling the Iran Deal "deeply flawed" and supporting Trump's decision.

"The president is right to insist that we hold Iran accountable both today and for the long-term. There will now be an implementation period for applying sanctions on Iran.

"During that time, it is my hope that the United States will continue to work with our allies to achieve consensus on addressing a range of destabilising Iranian behaviour - both nuclear and non-nuclear."

BreakingIran prepares to restart uranium enrichment

Iran's President Rouhani: "I have ordered Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran to be ready to start the enrichment of uranium at industrial levels. We will wait a few weeks and speak with our allies and those committed to JCPOA. All depends on our national interests."

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Israel's UN envoy: 'New era of security'

Danny Danon
Getty Images
Danon spoke to members of the security council after Trump's announcement

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said Trump's decision was "historic", providing "the prospect for a new era of security and stability in the Middle East".

Danon spoke to UN Security Council members following Trump's announcement.

“A united front against this regime that promotes terror and sows instability can put an end to the Iranian aggression which threatens our region and the entire international community.”

Bolton 'bouncing on balls of feet'

Bolton
Getty Images
Bolton watched Trump alongside Vice-President Mike Pence

US National Security Adviser John Bolton tells reporters the US Treasury Department will allow up to 180 days for companies that do business with Iran to end their contracts or face sanctions.

Bolton, one of the architects of the US war on Iraq, was in the Diplomatic Reception Room with Trump as he made his announcement moments ago.

BBC White House reporter Tara McKelvey spoke to Bolton just now and says the normally unsmiling presidential adviser seemed in "good spirits".

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'US never adhered to its commitments'

Iranian President Rouhani has just begun his televised remarks, condemning Trump's decision.

In Iran, many are tweeting with the hashtag: #untr_US_table, in a play on the English word "untrustable".

Iranians are posting that the US is yet again proving why Iranians shouldn't trust them.

Iran and the US have a long history of mutual mistrust, starting from 1953 coup d’état, which helped overthrow Prime Minister Mosaddegh’s government.

Now the US is willing to re-impose sanctions against Iran, Iranians see it as another opportunity to say the US is not trustworthy.

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'The worst possible scenario' for the deal

The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet weighs in on the president's withdrawal.

"Trump chose the nuclear option" to wreck Iran deal

US Ambassador Haley approves

Nikki Haley
Reuters

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said "the president absolutely made the right decision".

"This was a terrible deal that only allowed Iran’s bad international conduct to worsen," she said in a statement.

"We must never allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, and we must resist their support for terrorism that continues to threaten America and our allies."

Iran: Trump decision 'illegal'

Iranian state television has said Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal is "illegal, illegitimate and undermines international agreements", Reuters news agency reports.

Trump Jr congratulates dad

Pompeo: 'Sanctions will go into full effect'

Pompeo
Getty Images

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is due to arrive in North Korea in the coming hour, according to Trump, has just released this statement:

"As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian threat.

"We have a shared interest with our allies in Europe and around the world to prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

"But our effort is broader than just the nuclear threat and we will be working together with partners to eliminate the threat of Iran's ballistic missile programme; to stop its terrorist activities worldwide; and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East and beyond.

"As we build this global effort, sanctions will go into full effect and will remind the Iranian regime of the diplomatic and economic isolation that results from its reckless and malign activity."

Macron: 'We regret the US decision'

Despite all the talk of a "bromance" between Trump and Macron on the latter's state visit to Washington, the French president and other European allies' mission to save the Iran nuclear deal failed.

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'How does this make America safer?'

Trump in the White House fielding media questions
Reuters
Trump reacts to a question about keeping the US safe following his announcement

As he left the podium, Trump took a question from a journalist asking how the deal will affect US security.

"How does this make America safer?" asked the journalist.

"This will make America much safer," Trump responded.

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Netanyahu 'greatly appreciates' Trump decision

Benjamin Netanyahu
EPA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "greatly appreciates" Trump's decision.

Moments before Trump approached the White House podium, Reuters quoted Israeli officials as saying they had just spotted Iranian military movements in Syria.

The Israel Defence Forces have reportedly instructed local authorities to prepare open shelters in the north following suspicious Iranian movements near Israeli-held Golan.

The IDF has warned any aggression against Israel will be met with a severe response.

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'Embarrassment to me as a citizen'

"In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime - and it's a regime of great terror - many billions of dollars. Some of it in actual cash.

He calls it "a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States".

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Trump cites Netanyahu documents in decision

Benjamin Netanyahu.
EPA

"At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program. Today we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie.

"Last week Israel published intelligence documents, long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime's history of pursuing nuclear weapons."

BreakingTrump withdraws from deal

Trump holds up signed document
Getty Images
Trump signed a document reinstating sanctions against Iran just after he announced the US would withdraw from the Iran deal

Trump: "It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.

"The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing we know exactly what will happen."

He adds: "Therefore I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal."

"We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States."

'Horrible, one-sided deal'

Donald Trump at the White House
Getty Images
Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the Iran deal

Trump: "No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of developing that.

"In theory the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies form the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime.

"In fact the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and reach the brink of a nuclear breakout."

He calls it a "horrible, one-sided deal".

Iran's 'reign of chaos'

Donald Trump
Pool

Trump: "Over the years Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemen, and kidnapped imprisoned and tortured american citizens.

"The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people.

"No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them."

BreakingTrump announces Iran decision

'That toothpaste isn't going back in the tube'

Thornberry
Getty Images
Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry says Trump should stay in the deal

Every Republican in Congress opposed the international accord reached under Obama three years ago. But some are now concerned that blowing up the pact will erode US credibility.

Representative Ed Royce, Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned on Tuesday that tearing up the deal will not mean Iran paying back the $100bn in frozen assets it gained access to when it signed up.

"That toothpaste isn’t going back in the tube," Royce said. "It also won't help galvanize our allies into addressing Iran's dangerous activities that threaten us all."

Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake says if the US withdraws from the deal, America will no longer be "seen [as] a reliable partner".

The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, has also warned Trump not to walk away from the deal.

"I thought it was a bad deal," he said over the weekend.

"But the key question is, ok, what happens next if the US pulls out? Does Iran kick out those inspectors so we lose the visibility we have?" he told Fox News.

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Why Trump opposes Iran's missiles

By Kasra Naji

Special Correspondent, BBC Persian TV

Missile fired in mountains
Getty Images
A long-range ballistic missile launched in northern Iran - one of three fired by Iranian armed forces in tests during 9 March, 2016.

One of the problems President Trump has with Iran is its missile programme, which has been getting steadily more sophisticated over the years.

The programme is run by the Revolutionary Guard, which has tested at least five new missiles since Iran and six world powers reached the agreement to curtail Iran's nuclear programme.

The tests were the Revolutionary Guard's way of showing defiance in the face of an accord they saw as humiliating. In one of the tests, they even fired a missile with the slogan of "Death to Israel" written on its side in Hebrew, leaving no doubt about their wishes.

Some of the missiles have a range of 2000km, which brings Israel within their range, and could technically be modified to carry nuclear warheads.

In the Security Council resolution 2231 that enshrines the nuclear agreement, the wording is vague about Iran’s missiles. It calls on Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

But Iran says its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons. President Trump and his European allies want an additional agreement with Iran that curtails Iran’s missile programme.

Netanyahu: Iran deal is 'cosmetic'

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a fierce opponent of the current deal, describing it as "cosmetic" and a "historic mistake".

The Times of Israel reports that Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said: "The Iranians have already proved that they only understand threats and powerful force."

Minister Yoav Galant said on Tuesday he hopes Trump will “make the right decision, pull out of the deal and renew sanctions".

However, former head of Israeli intelligence disagreed with Mr Netanyahu, saying that Iran is "fully complying" with the accord.

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Iran must react 'fiercely' to US

Iranian lawmakers have said on state TV that parliament will let the government react "fiercely" if Trump goes ahead with "illegitimate demands" on Tehran, according to Reuters.

"We parliamentarians, of different political affiliations, support the establishment's stance against renegotiating the (nuclear) deal. America cannot impose its illegitimate demands on Iran... and ignore Iran's rights."

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Republican: 'Trump true to his word'

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a fierce opponent of the nuclear deal, tells a conservative radio show:

"It should come as no surprise after 120 days when the President made this last decision in January, that our European partners not having come far enough, that the President will not waive sanctions under US law again."

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