Former Secretary of State John Kerry, who spoke on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on Sunday, deemed the President’s move to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal “a very dangerous and ill-advised move.”
Kerry added that the decision was not “based on any broad strategy that is drawing other countries to the table to be supportive of it,” and expressed his belief that the decision was only aimed at fulfilling a campaign promise.
“I think it represents a campaign promise made by the President in the heat of the campaign, which he followed up on but which has no basis in achieving the goals that the President has set out — if there are goals,” the former secretary of state said.
Kerry further criticized President Donald Trump’s attacks of the accord, saying that just because he maintains it is “the worst agreement actually doesn’t make it the worst agreement.”
“It is, in fact, the single strongest, single most accountable, single most transparent nuclear agreement anywhere in the world,” Kelly, who was secretary of state when the deal was signed, stressed. “What the President has done is simply said, ‘I’m going to get out.’”
According to the former Democratic presidential candidate, that move has only “empowered the hardliners in Iran,” while putting the more rational ones in a politically difficult situation.
Under the deal, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program and in return saw easing of international sanctions. Since pulling out of the nuclear deal, the U.S. has reimposed sanctions on Iran, the first wave of which kicked in last month. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in response that there would be “no war, nor will we negotiate with the United States.”
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