The Guardian | Joe McLean: With little US appetite to kill the nuclear deal, he will likely blame the ‘deep state’ for not taking action – thus keeping his base onside

Trump’s recent threat to decertify the Iran nuclear deal is the latest and most dangerous Trumpian gambit yet, and it has emerged that the US is working to designate the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group. Just about the only person in his administration who believes abrogating the agreement isn’t dangerously foolish is Trump himself. But he promised his loyal base, Fox News and Steve Bannon, he would dump the accord. How can Trump keep his base happy, assuage his fragile ego and not blow up the world?

Until yesterday, Trump seemed to be hemmed in and contained by the unofficial “Committee to Save America”. As the Senate foreign relations chairman, Bob Corker, said: “Secretary [Rex] Tillerson, Secretary [James] Mattis and Chief of Staff [John] Kelly are those people who help separate our country from chaos.”

In congressional testimony last month, Mattis and General Joseph Dunford Jr, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, reaffirmed their qualified support for the Iran deal. Our entire national security apparatus, including Kelly, agree Iran is in basic compliance and the deal is working.

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