Read on Twitter
Act I: Donald Trump withdraws from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in which Iran agreed to give up all work that could lead to nuclear weapons. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ceasing-u-s-participation-jcpoa-taking-additional-action-counter-irans-malign-influence-deny-iran-paths-nuclear-weapon/
Experts warned that this withdrawal would give up leverage on Iran. https://twitter.com/james_acton32/status/1140956088906465280
Act II: The remaining members of the JCPOA stay with it and try to make it work. The US begins "maximum pressure," reinstating sanctions that Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo believe will make Iran bend to their will.
Iran does not bend to their will.
Iran does not bend to their will.
Act III: Trump and Pompeo say nevermind, the US has been in the JCPOA all along and, since Iran has not bent to their will, they will invoke the snapback provisions that experts told them they were giving up by leaving the JCPOA. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/world/middleeast/us-iran-nuclear-deal-pompeo.html
Trump's and Pompeo's bullying didn't work. Iran took very measured, reversible steps relative to the JCPOA to indicate they were not to be cowed. Trump and Pompeo murdered an Iranian general. Iran hit back, but not excessively.
But Trump and Pompeo are desperate not to look like fools. (Spoiler: Too late!) So they have dreamed up this scheme. Seems silly to be pressing this in the middle of a pandemic that Trump has allowed to get out of control in the US, but here we are.
I honestly don't know. I would make Act IV be a presentation of this measure to the UN Security Council, have Pompeo laughed out, and then the US turns around and recognize the mistakes that have been made.
But that's not going to happen.
But that's not going to happen.
