Deal or no deal

Trump administration looking to end Iran deal

The historic Iran nuclear deal passed during the Obama administration was a milestone in and of itself.

An agreement between the U.S., Iran, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union rarely sees itself come to fruition.

Barack Obama seemed optimistic about the deal and the possibilities it held at the time.

“I’m hopeful that this signals opportunity for Iran to work more cooperatively with nations around the world to advance their interests and for people looking for peace and security for their families,” Obama said.

President Donald Trump continually bashed the deal during his campaign, so it is no surprise the Trump administration seems to be getting cold feet about it.

The administration is currently doing a review to see if it would be in the United States’ best interest to pull out of the deal.

The reasoning behind the withdrawal is rooted in three main factors: Iran is constantly violating human rights, they are supporting terror groups and they play an active role in regional military conflicts, according to CNBC.

According to NBC News, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan explaining the argument.

“Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror through many platforms and methods,” Tillerson wrote. Later, in a press conference, Tillerson added, “I think this was one of the mistakes in how that agreement was put together. It completely ignored all of the other serious threats that Iran poses.”

The administration seems like it is attempting to fix the initial mistake made when writing the deal.

Though it is actually working to reduce Iran’s probability of developing nuclear weapons, it does not address the other issues the U.S. has with the nation.

Now, the U.S. wants those three specific problems solved, and if they cannot sanction Iran to fix them within the context of the deal, the U.S. wants out.

This looks bad on America’s part.

If Americans try to end the nuclear deal based on infractions that were never outlined within it, it would definitely cause problems between the U.S. and Iran.

It would also create tension and initiate possible future relational problems with the other countries involved.

Having a very specific goal is one of the main things allowing all the different countries to agree in the first place.

The original intent of the deal was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the deal is accomplishing its goal, and Iran has followed the stipulations outlined in the deal.

Former president Barack Obama verified these statements in the original press conference after the initiation of the deal.

“Iran will not get its hands on a nuclear bomb,” Obama said.

“The region, U.S. and world will be more secure.”

If the deal is doing exactly what it was intended to do, why pull out of it? The Trump administration needs to find a way to resolve its grievances with Iran without destroying an international agreement.

Ledgerwood is an opinion writer.