How Talks with North Korea Convinced Trump to Scrap the Iran Deal

Time ^ | 2018-05-08 | BRIAN BENNETT

[TigerLikesRooster]

How Talks with North Korea Convinced Trump to Scrap the Iran Deal

By BRIAN BENNETT 5:22 PM EDT

Moments after he declared the U.S. was pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump seemed to abruptly switch topics to announce that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on his way to North Korea to prepare for Trump’s meeting with the nuclear-armed despot Kim Jong Un.

What seemed to be a jarring aside was actually part of Trump’s decision to reimpose U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Over the past two months, Trump has come to see his policy toward North Korea as a success and believes his unusual combination of insults and biting economic sanctions appears to have brought Kim to the table. Now, Trump wants run the same playbook against Iran.

“Today’s action sends a critical message: The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them,” Trump said, standing at a lectern in the White House’s Diplomatic Room. Then he brought up Pompeo’s trip: “In fact, at this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un. Plans are being made. Relationships are building.”

Foreign policy experts have warned for months that if Trump backs out of the Iran deal, it will make it harder to convince North Korea that the U.S. will live up to any commitments brokered as part of an agreement to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. But Trump and his aides disagree. Ditching the Iran deal, in their view, shows North Korea’s young despot that Trump won’t accept terms that allow for Kim to eventually restart a nuclear program.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Past attempts to understand their 'plight' and show them goodwill have not paid off. With N. Korea, play hardball to the end, if you want results.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[mrsmith]

Just “an agreement to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula” would be a failure.
Trump is going for real improvement.

If it takes a treaty to do the job Trump will ask the Senate to approve.

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

Correct. And what's difficult for us to realize is the despots in North Korea and Iran don't live in isolation. They know the crap sandwich the media is feeding the American public, but they aren't forced to eat.

They know the worst enemy of the American people just stepped down to make room for Trump and now they're back to dealing with the actual world super power.

[enumerated]

“...his unusual combination of insults and biting economic sanctions... “

Insults? It’s called telling the truth, and if doing so is “unusual”, that’s sad.

This isn’t at all biased/s

[Dr. Sivana]

Foreign policy experts have warned for months that if Trump backs out of the Iran deal, it will make it harder to convince North Korea that the U.S. will live up to any commitments brokered as part of an agreement to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jung Un studied in Switzerland. He likely has some idea how western Republican mechanics work. All Trump has to do is bring something back that the Senate can ratify. What Democrat will vote against Denuking the Korean peninsula right before the midterms? If they do it to spite themselves, they cut their own nose off. With ratification, it isn't just Trump enforcing but a legitimate treaty with the force of law.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

>> They know the worst enemy of the American people just stepped down to make room for Trump and now they’re back to dealing with the actual world super power.<<

Prior to the 2008 election I spent hours distributing flyers with a message similar to the beginning of your comment.

“OBAMA — AMERICA’S MOST DANGEROUS ENEMY”

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It’s the Korean way.