President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019. Tuan Mark/Getty Images President Donald Trump has "checked out" on his Iran policy, giving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo freedom to dictate policy short of "start[ing] World World III," The Daily Beast reported, citing US officials. According to the outlet, Trump is looking to undermine President-elect Joe Biden by putting the US-Iran relationship beyond repair before he leaves the White House. Trump wants to deter Iran from rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal, a key plan of Biden's incoming administration. Former US diplomats previously told Insider the November 27 hit on Iran's top nuclear scientist — believed to be perpetrated by Israel — was also designed to damage Biden's plan. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump has tired of overseeing US actions on Iran, telling foreign-policy chiefs they can do anything they want as long as they don't "start World War III," The Daily Beast reported, citing administration officials.One White House official told the outlet that Trump has "checked out" over Iran, handing the reigns to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Iran hawks in the administration.Trump has been deeply involved in the US "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran throughout his time in office, approving scores of sanctions and ordering a hit on the regime's top general, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.Since losing the US election last month, reports have detailed how Trump has looked to put the US relationship with Iran beyond repair — a tactic to scupper President-elect Joe Biden's plan to bring Iran back to the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by former President Barack Obama. A graphic showing Trump and Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Business Insider Trump pulled the US out of the agreement — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — in May 2018, calling it a bad deal and opting to impose heavy sanctions on Iran to force its leadership to comply with US demands instead.That plan has not been successful: While Iran was believed to be following the terms of the deal before the US withdrew, it later threatened to resume enriching uranium.
Comment on Trump has given up on Iran policy in his last weeks in office and told Pompeo he can do anything he wants, as long as it doesn't
insider@insider.com (Bill Bostock), Business Insider
Wed, 12/02/2020 - 3:56am
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