Withdrawal from Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA)

May 8, 2018

President Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and directed the reimposition of all sanctions that had been lifted under the agreement. Since the JCPOA was structured as an executive agreement rather than a Senate-ratified treaty, the withdrawal was within presidential authority—a president can generally reverse a predecessor's executive agreements. However, the withdrawal raised significant questions about the credibility and durability of American international commitments when any subsequent president can reverse course. The episode illustrated the constitutional consequences of bypassing the Treaty Clause: executive agreements are easier to make but also easier to unmake, creating instability in foreign relations. The withdrawal also demonstrated how the structural choice between treaty and executive agreement can have profound policy consequences, as Senate ratification would have made withdrawal far more difficult.