The Nobel Peace Prize announcement comes as The Washington Post reports President Trump is expected to “decertify” the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal next week, saying the agreement is not in the United States’ national interest. If this happens, Congress will decide whether or not to reinstate harsh economic sanctions against Iran. The move comes despite the fact the Trump administration begrudgingly certified that Iran has complied with its obligations under the agreement earlier this year—as has the International Atomic Energy Agency. Defense Secretary James Mattis has also said he’s in favor of sticking with the Iran nuclear deal.
President Trump’s potential sabotaging of the Iran nuclear deal is only one of a growing number of nuclear threats under the Trump administration. Tensions have also risen sharply between the U.S. and North Korea over its nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly threatened to destroy all of North Korea, a nation of 25 million people. After Trump took office, the scientists behind the Doomsday Clock, which tracks the likelihood of nuclear war and other existential threats, moved the clock’s minute hand 30 seconds closer to midnight. The clock is now the closest to midnight than at any time since 1953. We’ll have more on the Iran nuclear deal, the Nobel Peace Prize and the threats of nuclear war, after headlines.