Kerry criticizes Trump, ‘agent of chaos’, on anniversary of withdrawal from Iran deal

Former Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday criticized former President Trump for his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal six years ago, saying the move made Americans “less safe.”

“When Donald Trump refused the pleas of our closest allies and withdrew the United States from the JCPOA, he created a more dangerous region, strengthened Iran and isolated the United States instead of isolating Tehran,” Kerry said in a statement obtained exclusively by The Hill , referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Even Republicans who opposed the original deal called on the Trump White House to stay in the deal to maintain influence over Iran, but Trump chose chaos instead,” Kerry added. “It has made the world more dangerous and Americans less safe.”

Kerry, who oversaw the completion of the Iran deal in 2015 while serving as secretary of state, argued in Wednesday’s statement that the deal was working and that Trump’s decision to withdraw caused Iran to become more aggressive.

“Now Trump is back as a presidential candidate singing the same song – threatening to once again go it alone, undermine our global leadership and isolate us from our allies,” Kerry said. “He is attacking democracy and our fundamental rights here at home. Thanks to President Biden’s strong leadership, we have allies who share the burden and work alongside us, and the United States is once again at the forefront on the international stage. Americans want stability, not an agent of chaos in the White House.”

Kerry stepped down as President Biden’s special envoy for climate in February and has taken on a role helping Biden’s re-election campaign.

Trump, on May 8, 2018, announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, breaking with European allies and fulfilling an important campaign promise to end what he called “one of the most incompetent agreements ” ever made.

“It has not brought calm, it has not brought peace, and it never will,” Trump said at the time.

The deal provided Tehran billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for accepting limits on its nuclear program. European allies pressured Trump to stay in the deal.

Around the same time he announced he would withdraw from the Iran deal, Trump attacked Kerry and accused the former Secretary of State of conducting “parallel diplomacy” by meeting with Iranian officials to discuss protecting the deal.

Iran has been at the center of recent unrest in the Middle East, following last October’s Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, which triggered the current war in Gaza. Israel and Iran have also exchanged attacks in recent weeks, raising fears of a wider conflict in the region.

Following Iran’s attacks on Israel, the Biden administration sanctions imposed last month about leaders and entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s Ministry of Defense and the Iranian government’s missile and drone program.

The Biden administration has sought to avoid a broader conflict with Iran, but officials have acknowledged that the White House does not intend to revive the Obama-era nuclear deal.

“We would love nothing more than to be able to resolve the Iranian nuclear progress – the nuclear weapons progress through diplomacy,” spokesman John Kirby told reporters last month. “Unfortunately, this is not an option at this time because the – the Iranians, long before all of this, were simply not negotiating in good faith.”

Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal was one of his major foreign policy moves during his time in the White House.

The former president has repeatedly stated in recent months that the war between Israel and Hamas would never have started if he had been in power due to the intense sanctions his administration imposed on Iran. However, Trump has not offered much substance about how he would handle the war between Israel and Hamas, as well as saying that Israel is losing the public relations battle and should finish the job.

Trump aides have similarly argued that Biden is to blame for the unrest in the Middle East.

“[Biden] allowed Iran, which led to war in Israel,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement this week. “Joe Biden’s weakness and failure are the reason chaos is erupting in our country and around the world. Americans can be assured that on Day One, President Trump will restore peace through force abroad and demand law and order at home.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story