Trump Expected to Decertify Iran Deal on Friday

President Trump said last month he'd made up his mind about the Iran nuclear deal, and he is expected to reveal that decision on Friday. Officials tell USA Today Trump is set to announce that he will decertify what he's called "the worst deal ever," though he'll reportedly give Iran a chance to "fix" the existing agreement set up in 2015 under President Obama. He's not expected to ask Congress to force further economic sanctions on Iran, at least for now. "It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction," Trump says in a White House fact sheet. As part of the deal—which also involves Great Britain, Russia, China, France, and Germany, and which gives Iran limited ability to develop its nuclear program—Trump has to recertify every 90 days, which he's done twice so far; Sunday is the next deadline.

Proponents of continued certification, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, say Iran has so far been "technically" adhering to its end of the bargain and that pulling out now could erode international trust and cause Iran to go back to building up its program with full force. Critics, however, say they fear Iran could secretly flout the deal, and that due to a "sunset provision" will go back to openly building up its nukes after a decade has passed anyway. Trump is also expected to accuse Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of human rights abuses and seek to deny funding for the group, per Reuters—a move Iranian officials are reportedly warning would be a "step too far," the Guardian reports. USA Today and Al Jazeera delve deeper into Congress' role on the nuclear deal and how decertification isn't the same as totally walking away from it. (More Iran nuclear weapons program stories.)