Trump to announce decision on Iran deal on Tuesday

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the nuclear accord with Iran as one-sided, will announce on Tuesday whether he plans to pull the United States out of the deal.

Trump said in a tweet on Monday that he will announce his decision from the White House at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Other details were not released, but three sources told Reuters that Trump had “all but decided” to withdraw from the accord.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, even though all parties confirm that Iran has complied with the deal’s requirements. The U.S., however, has accused Iran of funding terrorism and working to undermine peace throughout the Middle East.

“The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it – believe me,” Trump told the UN in September.

Under U.S. law, Trump has until May 12 to decide whether to certify Iran’s compliance with the deal. If he chooses to decertify, it would give lawmakers 60 days to decide whether to reimpose U.S. sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program. Those sanctions were lifted under the 2015 agreement, which did not address Iran’s missile program.

It’s unclear how Iran would respond if the U.S. decides to withdraw from the accord, although some officials have suggested that Tehran could uphold the agreement with other parties. Washington’s European allies have urged the U.S. not to withdraw from the nuclear deal.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had obtained evidence that shows Iran used to have a nuclear weapons program, something Iran has always denied. The alleged evidence, however, refers to a period well before the accord was signed.