9. U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (2018)
On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. He criticized the agreement as “defective at its core” and stated that it failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Following the withdrawal, the U.S. reinstated sanctions targeting critical sectors of Iran’s economy, including energy, petrochemical, and financial industries. This decision led to heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran and strained relations with European allies who remained committed to the deal. For more details, see NPR.
