What was considered as a welcome step by the former Obama administration, when the US struck a deal with Iran, has been deemed null and void by current US President Donald Trump. While the US president has created much ruckus ever since holding office in January 2017, he has not been taking rational decisions. Blowing up the Iran deal is one of them, and perhaps the repercussions will be felt from Tehran to Washington. Even though the US allies along with the European Union were continuously suggesting Trump to keep this deal intact, President Trump used his power and lack of sense not only to end the deal but presume that Iran is manufacturing nuclear bombs. President Trump’s one-sided, autonomous, and an autarchic decision has left European Union in a state of disbelief. While the US is already engaged in a war in the Middle East, creating a tussle with Iran will not bode well for Washington — neither financially nor politically. What Trump did today, former US President George Bush did in 2003 when the latter falsely accused Iraq of producing weapons of mass destruction. What followed was the US’ invasion of Iraq, destruction of a civilisation, refugee influx to other Middle Eastern countries and wastage of Washington’s financial and military resources. The same scenario may prevail, and one wonders what bleak future is there for the Middle East. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) also known as the Iran nuclear deal was agreed upon in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran, five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council namely: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States; Germany and the European Union. A nuclear deal of this magnitude, however, does not transpire in a week’s time. It is brought to the table after years of negotiations and diplomatic endeavours. However, Trump’s decision broke the deal and along with it ended the slightest of chances for the US and Iran to work together to fuse diplomatically and to co-exist. While President Trump has put the US under Iran’s radar, his decision will also affect Iran’s diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and the UK. President Trump’s statement has certainly put a dent in how Iran will view its relations with every country that is part of this deal. Tehran would wonder if the US can back out, any other country can follow suit. In an article for The Guardian, Bernie Sanders, the US Senator from Vermont, and a Democratic Party presidential candidate during the 2016 US Elections, said, “Bluster and Iran-bashing will not get us to a better future. We need to continue to try to talk with Iran’s government, seek a better relationship with the Iranian people, and a more constructive role for Iran in the region. Trump’s approach makes achieving those goals more difficult. It has already emboldened the regime’s hardliners, who are much more comfortable dealing with a hostile America than with a reasonable, peace-seeking one. After 17 years of war in Afghanistan and 15 years of war in Iraq, the American people do not want to be engaged in never-ending wars in the Middle East. They do not want to be drawn into a Sunni-Shia, Saudi Arabia-Iran regional conflict. But I am deeply concerned that this is exactly where President Trump is taking us. If anyone were inclined to dismiss those concerns, I would remind them that Trump’s newly installed national security adviser, John Bolton, wrote an article a few years ago entitled To Stop Iran’s Bomb, Bomb Iran. By withdrawing from the nuclear agreement, and making clear their goal of escalation, Trump and his administration seem to be creating their own excuse for doing exactly that.” Perhaps as a consequence of being the most powerful man on Earth, President Trump has once again, denied, overruled and snubbed the advice he received from experts While Iran-US relations may soon crumble, the US backing out of the JCPOA could also hamper US-North Korea ties. What if the US did the same with North Korea? What if after signing a non-proliferation agreement, the US backs out, leaving North Korea in a state of confusion? Moreover, despite being the most powerful man on Earth, President Trump has, once again, denied, overruled and snubbed the advice he received from experts. While General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and James Mattis, US Secretary of Defence did suggest Trump not to scrap the deal, the President did the unthinkable. This only goes to show President Trump’s intentions to decide on his own without giving heed to those who are there to advise him based on their professional experience and political acumen. Trump, however, possesses neither of these two traits and therefore, no one can expect him to make rational decisions. The writer is a columnist, and author of ‘You Rise Today!’ available at Amazon Published in Daily Times, May 25th 2018.