Once again, Trump proves he is not to be trusted

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US President Donald Trump has announced the not-so-surprising decision that America is going to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. But the prospects and aftermath of this decision is not clear yet.

Experts have already shown concern that without an alternative Iran strategy, this could seriously disturb the peace process in the Middle East. Meanwhile, America’s credibility is also in danger in the international community, which might cast a shadow on the coming Trump-Kim talks.

US President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

Calling the deal “decaying and rotten”, Trump has publicly criticized the deal many times and sworn to pull out. He insisted that he was keeping his promises.

But it remains to be seen whether this decision has been made out of empirical facts or Trump’s personal grudge to his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Acceding to the US intelligence and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is complying with the deal. As Abbas Milani, director of Iranian Studies points out, although the deal did not shut down Iran’s nuclear program, it is working as it is doing what it was supposed to do.

“I can't imagine it having any positive impact, except that I think it's a bonanza to the most conservative elements in Iran who have all long said negotiating with the US is futile and who are also facing a grave economic challenge at home. And this will give them someone to blame and they will give them an excuse for their own incompetence and mismanagement.”

An Iranian man checks a newspaper in Tehran on May 9, 2018 a day after US President Donald Trump (portrait) announced the US is pulling out of the nuclear deal. /VCG Photo

Responding to Trump’s announcement, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned that Iran might restart enriching uranium “without any limitations” soon.

What is worse is that while Trump claimed that this deal did not bring “calm and peace”, he has not proposed a path which could achieve that.

“Nobody with a straight face can say that anything Donald Trump said today was anything more than an airing of grievances. There is no plan to address these issues. There is no strategy.” said Reza Marshi, research director of the National Iranian American Council. “He has created a crisis of his own choosing.”

Also, Reza found the fact that Trump would trust Israeli intelligence over his own country and that he did not take advice from his own administration is deeply troubling. “We're deeply concerned that this president is putting the interests of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates ahead of American Interests.

In his speech, Trump has cited Israeli intelligence as proof that Iran is violating the deal, which has many analysts suspicious that the decision might be partly driven by Israel, who has been trying to get the US to bomb Iran.

Protesters stand outside the White House as US President Donald Trump announces the United State's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal May 8, 2018 in Washington, DC./VCG Photo

Going forward, Sam Zhao, Director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at University of Denver, fears that this may send troubling messages to the world.

The message is that negotiations with US could be futile as Trump is ready to scrap any deal promised by his predecessors if he is not happy.

“I think it will be seen as another act of the US President being irresponsible and not being trusted,” said Zhao. This will not only jeopardize the denuclearization talks on the Korean Peninsula, but also weakens the country's position in trade talks with China.

It can be hardly imagined that any country would have a candid discussion with the US now, knowing that it will have no respect for the multilateralism.

Iran has expressed its wiliness to stay in the deal, if talks with other stakeholders went smoothly. Europe also states that it wants to save the deal as well. Zhao thinks this could bring Iran closer to China, as the two countries have been working closely and China has a keen interest in staying in the deal.

Once again, Trump has isolated himself and turned his back to the world. It perhaps will not take long before he finds himself out on a limb all alone