US President Donald Trump claimed in his third State of the Union speech, which was described by Speaker Nanci Pelosi as a "manifesto of mistruths", that the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the nuclear deal has put ‘immense pressure’ on Iran’s economy.
US President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union speech, boasting about how great America has become since he took office.
During his speech at the House chamber on Tuesday night, Trump also brought up Iran. He claimed that his decision to pull the US out of the multinational Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on the country has put immense pressure on the Iranian government and stifled its regional ambitions.
But the claim doesn’t hold up to Iran’s continued trade exchanges and the European countries’ refusal to follow the US in reimposing sanctions on Iran. Germany and France, in particular, as the two European signatories to the nuclear deal, have been making efforts to create a workaround that allows them to continue doing business with Iran despite US sanctions.
Trump also boasted that the US’ withdrawal from the agreement stopped the country from getting a nuclear weapon. On the one hand, Iran says developing any kinds of weapons of mass destruction is prohibited due to moral and religious principles, and as such, developing nuclear weapons has never been on the country’s agenda; on the other hand, the US’ withdrawal prompted the country to start reducing commitments to the nuclear deal, until Iran began enjoying the tangible trade and investment benefits it expected from the deal.
Trump also boasted about the assassination of top Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in January, which was carried out by Trump’s order. The terrorist act sharply escalated tensions in the Middle East, with many fearing an outright war. Iran retaliated by attacking two US military bases in Iraq.
Trump also touted his newly-unveiled Middle East plan for Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been vehemently rejected by Palestinians, and leaders from the Islamic world. The European Union also rejected the deal in a statement on Tuesday.
The American deal, which was negotiated with the Israeli regime but without the Palestinians, refers to Jerusalem al-Quds as the undivided capital of Israel and allows the regime to annex illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
In a statement issued shortly after the speech ended, Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the speech as a long collection of lies designed to mislead voters about the administration's track record.
"The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people," Pelosi said in a statement. "The American people expect and deserve a President to have integrity and respect for the aspirations for their children."
In fact, Trump delivered his State of the Union address to a highly divided House chamber. At the start of the address, Trump appeared to snub Pelosi's offer of a handshake. At the conclusion, Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump's speech. Pelosi told reporters it was "the courteous thing to do given the alternative."
