Trump won't re-certify Iran nuclear deal; calls on Congress to act

President Donald Trump will not re-certify the Iran nuclear deal because he claimed Iran is not living up to the spirit of the deal and has committed "multiple violations."

During a White House speech Friday, the president said that he "cannot and will not make this certification." Trump is not severing the agreement. Instead, he is sending Iran a signal to clean up its act or the U.S. will pull out of the nuclear accord. "We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror, and the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakthrough," he said.

Trump said he is directing his administration to work closely with Congress to address the deal's "many flaws" and to make sure the country can never threaten the U.S. with nuclear weapons. He said that if Congress can't come up with new legislation, he will terminate the Obama-era pact, which he called "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

The Congress now has 60 days, if it chooses, to re-impose economic sanctions against Iran. But that would mean the U.S. would be breaking the agreement.

"In the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Congress and our allies, the agreement will be terminated," Trump said. "It is under continuous review, and our participation can be canceled by me as president at any time," he said.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis, House foreign relations panel chairman Ed Royce, R-California, and others do not support a pullout.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he hopes that American allies will be "very supportive" of Trump's actions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country "will continue to stick to" the nuclear deal, calling it "much stronger" than Trump thinks.

With the AP and Fox News