ABC, NBC and MSNBC suffered a collective freak out on Tuesday in the wake of the news that the United States would be pulling out of the Obama-era Iranian nuclear deal. The networks chided an “isolated” U.S. that will not be “trusted” and is undermining U.S. “commitments” as a result.
In live coverage of Donald Trump’s speech, ABC's Terry Moran insisted that the President had already “isolated” America on the Paris climate accord. Moran dramatically warned: “With that signature, the President withdraws the United States from this [Iran] deal and isolates our country from its key allies.” Speaking for Europe, he huffed:
They don't see President Trump as a deal maker, at least with Europe, and they fear that withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, he's just made the Middle East a much more dangerous place. But they're going to try and come up with a plan B to try and save it.”
On MSNBC Andrea Mitchell seethed:
So no matter what the U.S. does now, they have basically said to the world is that we are not obeying an agreement that we signed. And that the United States of America under one administration can sign deals, but it will not be trusted by subsequent presidents.
Apparently a Republican president reversing the actions of a Democratic president shows just how untrustworthy America has become.
During the NBC live coverage, Richard Engel reiterated this theme of the terrible ramifications to come: “It draws a wedge between the U.S. and its allies.”
Echoing Andrea Mitchell, Engel complained about how, now, America is untrustworthy:
Not only does it undermine U.S. commitments, not only does it undermine international trust in the United States' ability to keep its word, but everybody's ability to keep their word because everybody's name who is on that original Iran contract is now having to explain why the contract is being torn up.
Partial transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read more:
ABC
5/8/18
2:27GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Terry, let me go back to you right there. The President said a better deal could have been reached three years ago. That is not the way our allies see it.
TERRY MORAN: Not at all, George. With that signature, the President withdraws the United States from this deal and isolates our country from its key allies. All the other signatories to this deal. The U.K., France, Germany, the European Union, China and Russia. They say they're going to stick with it. They want to save the deal. They think it's been working.
The deal has forced Iran to dismantle two-thirds of its centrifuges, give up 98 percent of its fuel, pour concrete in its most dangerous reactor. They don't see a better deal on the table. President Trump has work cut out for him. And he is working, having now isolated the U.S. on this, the trade war that Europeans are very worried about, could come forward, on the Paris climate accords. They don't see President Trump as a deal maker, at least with Europe, and they fear that withdrawing the United States with the Iran nuclear deal, he's just made the Middle East a much more dangerous place. But they're going to try and come up with a plan B to try and save it.
MSNBC
5/8/18
2:40pmANDREA MITCHELL: the problem is by reneging on the deal, like the president said today, it's going to be the strictest form of sanctions, which means that any European company that wants to deal with banks and in dollars, which is the world’s denomination, cannot do any business with Iran. And Iran said that they were agreeing to this deal because they were going to be welcomed back into the world, into the world economy. It will affect oil prices because they are the third largest oil producer. Prices will go up and prices will go up. Americans will feel this at the pump. So no matter what the U.S. does now, they have basically said to the world is that we are not obeying an agreement that we signed. And that the United States of America under one administration can sign deals, but it will not be trusted under subsequent presidents.
NBC
5/8/18
2:29RICHARD ENGEL: The problem was this Iran deal wasn't just with the United States. It was with large sections of the international community. European leaders have been coming to beat a trail to the White House to tell the president not to do what he just did. Because not only does it undermine U.S. commitments, not only does it undermine international trust in the United States' ability to keep its word, but everybody's ability to keep their word because everybody's name who is on that original Iran contract is now having to explain why the contract is being torn up.
Even though U.S. Intelligence, the IAEA all say that Iran is complying with deal. So it hurts U.S. Credibility. It hurts the credibility of the U.S. allies. It draws a wedge between the U.S. and its allies. It potentially causes an issue of sanctions with U.S. allies. The way the sanctions have generally worked is the U.S. puts sanctions on Iran, but also on those who continue to do business with Iran.
