President Donald Trump to rule on Iran nuclear deal, status of Revolutionary Guard

PRESIDENT Trump faces two critical decisions with enormous consequences, that could lead the US army being black-listed.

President Donald Trump said he is considering what to do about the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran ahead of a critical deadline looming. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump risks having the US military labelled a terror organisation amid rising diplomatic tensions with Iran over a key nuclear deal and the status of the Revolutionary Guard.

October 15 is the deadline for Trump to decide whether or not to certify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated between the Obama administration, Iran, China, France, Russia, the UK and Germany.

The hard-fought deal provided Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for assurances it would curb its nuclear program to prevent the country developing nuclear weapons. It requires the President to certify it every 90 days based on advice as to whether they think Iran is complying with the requirements or not.

President Trump has already done this twice, in April and July, however there are expectations this time Trump could decide against extending the deal. That’s despite evidence from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Trump’s top advisers and European countries who have said Iran has been complying with requirements.

On Thursday, Trump denounced the accord a terrible deal for the US saying it was the “worst deal” that left the US with “nothing.”

“We did it out of weakness when actually, we have great strength,” said Trump. “We will see what happens pretty soon.”

If Trump decides to pull out, it would leave Congress with 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran, and could disrupt the fragile truce between the signatories.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said If the U.S. backs out of the nuclear deal, "it won't be our failure at all, but a failure for the other side. Picture: Iranian Presidency Office via AP.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called to pull out of the deal but not offered a detailed explanation as to why. Picture: AP/Photo/Alex Brandon.

It comes as Trump is also expected to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. This could bring sanctions against Iran’s most powerful ground, naval and air divisions and lead to reciprocal labels for the US military from the Iranian government.

“If the scattered news about the stupidity of the U.S. government regarding the IRGC as a terrorist group is correct, the Guards will also consider the American military all over the world, especially the Middle East, as equal to Daesh,” Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari told Iran’s Press TV on Sunday.

While some members of the Revolutionary Guard have been subject to sanctions before, labelling the entire force a terror organisation “would open up American troops to the same label,” Reuters reports. This means soldiers on both sides could lose their rights under the Geneva Convention.

NATO allies France, Germany and the UK have urged the White House to be cautious, warning that escalation could lead to destabilisation of the region which includes a major humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called to maintain the deal in the absence of alternatives.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May also phoned President Trump to emphasise the deal was “vitally important for regional security.”