Donald Trump pulled the US out of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday, moving to re-impose sanctions on the country and defying pleas from close allies who had called for the agreement to be preserved.
“The Iran deal is defective at its core,” Mr Trump said in making the announcement.
The decision marks a bitter defeat for America’s top European allies, who have spent months beseeching him to stay in a deal that Mr Trump has denounced as “insane”. Critics warned it would further endanger stability in the Middle East and have repercussions for major companies that have been doing business with Iran following the 2015 accord.