Trump Nukes the Iran Accord: What Happens Next?

In early May Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement between Iran, the U.S. and five other countries which was designed to curtail Iran's development of nuclear weapons. Virtually the entire world supported the agreement, with the noted exception of Israel (which immediately conducted air strikes against Iran) and Saudi Arabia - and now, officially, the U.S. 63% of the American people also supported it.

Trump's Secretary of Defense, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over 80 nuclear policy experts joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in asserting that Iran was keeping up its end of the accord. Despite that, Trump called it, from almost the beginning of his candidacy for President, "the worst deal ever".

We can speculate on his motivation for that label, with reasons having to do with it not being his deal, or an aversion to giving Obama credit for any such accomplishment. But the more important question now is of what happens next. Will Iran start enriching uranium on a greater scale? Are we headed toward a war at the behest of new Secretary of State George Pompeo and new National Security Adviser John Bolton, both of whom have advocated "regime change" in Iran? Will the rest of the countries involved in the deal (including Iran) pursue its terms?

On Sunday, June 10, to address such implications and alternatives, Paul George, Executive Director of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center in Palo Alto, will give a talk entitled "Trump Nukes the Iran Accord: What Happens Next?" Paul will talk about possibilities for war, peace, diplomacy and nuclear proliferation - all among the countless subjects he has addressed in his work at PPJC for close to 30 years and peace and justice work generally for 50 years.

The UUSM is wheelchair accessible.

Free, contributions welcome.