U.S. President Donald Trump was to announce on Tuesday whether he will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Mr. Trump has consistently threatened to pull out of the 2015 agreement because it does not address Iran’s ballistic missile programme or its role in wars in Syria and Yemen, and does not permanently prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
European leaders have warned that a U.S. withdrawal would undo years of work that led to and sustained a landmark deal that has kept nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands But a senior French official doubted Mr. Trump had taken heed of European concerns.
“I think in Washington it was quite clear the President was convinced that Trump was heading to a negative decision so we have been preparing more aggressively the hypotheses of a partial or total pull-out”, the official said. Two other European officials also said they expected Mr. Trump to pull out of the accord.
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Such a move could ratchet up tensions in a region riven with interrelated wars, including the multilayered conflict in Syria where Iran’s presence has brought it into conflict with Israel.
A decision to quit the deal could also rattle oil markets due to Iran’s role as a major exporter, and critics say it could also harm Mr. Trump’s efforts to reach a deal in nuclear talks with North Korea.
Mr. Trump, in a tweet on Monday, said he would make the announcement at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Tuesday.
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Iran suggested its economy would not be hurt whatever happened, but its rial was near record lows against the dollar in the free market as Iranians tried to buy hard currency, fearing financial turmoil if Mr. Trump quits the deal.