'Winners take all,' Trump's theory on US’s withdrawal from Iran deal

World
Europe

00:48

By CGTN's World Insight

Fulfilling his campaign promise, Trump has announced he is pulling the US out of what he called Tuesday a "defective deal" – the multinational agreement to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.

Instead, Trump proposed a new controversial pressure policy on Iran. He says Tehran "must never acquire" a nuclear weapon. The White House also wants Iran to freeze the development of ballistic missiles and to end its support for terrorist groups in the region.

So, why does Trump find this deal unreasonable and unacceptable?

CGTN's World Insight invites Li Guofu, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, to share his opinions on the topic.

“I am rather afraid of the tactics used by the US President Mr. Trump. He wants to take everything off from the table by himself. It is kind of a theory that winners take all. He thinks that he is the winner.” said Li.

"The nuclear deal was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, UK, France, China and Russia, plus Germany. It ended 12 years of deadlock over Tehran's nuclear program. For nearly three years, all world powers except the US have said the Iran deal is working and that Tehran is fulfilling its obligations."

Li said, “He wants to take all benefits, without regard to the other sides, or the other parties’ legitimate interests. That, I personally believe, would undermine the possibilities of good result or something positive from the negotiation.”

Li also added that there is no way that any deal can survive unless all sides see it as a win. Therefore, any deal that recognizes Iran as a loss is not going to be sustainable.

World Insight with Tian Wei is a 45-minute global affairs and debate show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 10:15 p.m. BJT (1415GMT), with rebroadcasts at 4:15 a.m. BJT (2015GMT).