--- title: How President Trump's Iran Criticism Affects North Korea description: President Trump teased that he has reached a decision on whether to recertify the Iran nuclear accord, which he has harshly criticized. canonical: https://time.com/4949796/how-president-trumps-iran-criticism-affects-north-korea/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-20T17:37:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:52:33.297Z article:section: Politics og:title: How President Trump's Iran Criticism Affects North Korea og:description: President Trump teased that he has reached a decision on whether to recertify the Iran nuclear accord, which he has harshly criticized. og:url: https://time.com/4949796/how-president-trumps-iran-criticism-affects-north-korea/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How President Trump's Iran Criticism Affects North Korea twitter:description: President Trump teased that he has reached a decision on whether to recertify the Iran nuclear accord, which he has harshly criticized. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How President Trump's Iran Criticism Affects North Korea > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=00d89bd0-6e04-4522-b23e-7897241f8878&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Stay Tuned': Why President Trump Keeps Us in Suspense [Watch (HLS stream): Stay Tuned': Why President Trump Keeps Us in Suspense](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/T31scAXt.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2017-06-01. From new hires to policy announcements, President Trump enjoys keeping people guessing as to what he'll do next._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 20, 2017 5:37 PM UTC From new hires to policy announcements, President Trump enjoys keeping people guessing as to what he'll do next. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 20, 2017 5:37 PM UTC President Trump teased Wednesday that he has reached a conclusion on whether to re-certify the Iran nuclear accord, which he has been blasting since his time as a candidate. Trump faces an October deadline to affirm Iran’s compliance with the letter of the agreement, and he told reporters that he has made a decision about what to do. The stakes are high not just for the immediate region, but for the world. The nuclear agreement, which Trump and GOP critics have called a bad deal, allowed Iran to continue its destabilizing activities in the region, but the Obama-reached accord is also viewed as a model for a potential North Korean disarmament pact. Efforts to undermine the Iran deal, when domestic and international monitors concur that Iran has not violated the letter of the agreement, could only make it harder to reach one on the Korean peninsula. Senators are continuing their last-ditch effort to repeal-and-replace Obamacare, but are coming up against the uncertainty in a bill they are still struggling to understand. Some Republican governors are speaking out against the legislation, and lawmakers themselves are offering contradictory answers about what the Graham-Cassidy legislation would accomplish short of fulfill their longstanding campaign pledges to voters. Trump’s HHS Secretary comes under fire for private travel. How Trump’s speech gave Kim what he wanted. And a look at The Wall. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [For Trump Aides Caught in Russia Probe, Legal Bills and Paranoia ](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-20/for-trump-aides-caught-in-russia-probe-legal-bills-and-paranoia)Communications adviser says he bought guns after threats \[Bloomberg\] [A 2,000-Mile Search for Answers ](https://www.usatoday.com/border-wall/)‘The Wall’ explored \[USA Today\] [Trump Offers a Selective View of Sovereignty in U.N. Speech ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/world/trump-speech-united-nations.html?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories&%5Fr=0)Unpacking Trump’s UN speech \[New York Times\] [Special Counsel’s Office Interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/special-counsels-office-interviewed-deputy-attorney-general-rod-rosenstein-1505868289?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories)Interview could be a sign that Rosenstein isn’t seen as a central witness, as he hasn’t withdrawn himself from his oversight role \[Wall Street Journal\] [RNC Covering More Than $230,000 in Trump Legal Fees ](http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/19/politics/donald-trump-legal-fees-rnc/index.html?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories)Trump, Jr. also covered \[CNN\] [White House Seriously Considers Abandoning Some Tax Cuts for the Wealthy ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/19/white-house-seriously-considers-abandoning-some-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy/?hpid=hp%5Frhp-more-top-stories%5Ftaxcuts-140p:homepage/story&utm%5Fterm=.ddbb9753b664)Bid to reduce cost and increase popularity of tax cuts \[Washington Post\] [Price’s Private-Jet Travel Breaks Precedent ](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/19/tom-price-chartered-planes-flights-242908)HHS secretary took chartered aircraft on five flights last week, while his predecessors would fly commercial \[Politico\] [President Trump’s U.N. Speech Is Exactly What Kim Jong Un Wanted to Hear ](http://time.com/4949338/donald-trump-north-korea-un/)‘Rocket Man’ was happy \[TIME\] **Sound Off** “I have decided.” — President Trump Wednesday when asked about the future of the Iran nuclear deal “This is the moment. Now is the time. We have 12 days.” —Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday on Graham-Cassidy **Bits and Bites** [Jimmy Kimmel gets heated about health-care bill, says Sen. Bill Cassidy ‘lied right to my face’ ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/09/19/jimmy-kimmel-gets-heated-about-health-care-bill-says-bill-cassidy-lied-right-to-my-face/?stream=top-stories&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fterm=.80157c319df6)\[Washington Post\] [Trump’s trashing of Iran deal poses problems for NK strategy](https://www.apnews.com/1d8e6bb57c23469cb824cf54b1607bb3/Trump%27s-trashing-of-Iran-deal-poses-problems-for-NK-strategy) \[Associated Press\] [Ambassador Nikki Haley on Trump’s Iran, N. Korea comments at U.N.](https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/ambassador-nikki-haley-on-trumps-iran-n-korea-comments-at-un/) \[CBS\] [New health-care plan stumbles under opposition from governors](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/renewed-obamacare-repeal-effort-dealt-a-blow-as-governors-come-out-in-opposition/2017/09/19/499478fe-9d51-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.c2faf8e0cd27) \[Washington Post\] [Trump Slammed the Emmys for ‘Worst Ever’ Ratings. Here Are the Numbers](http://time.com/4949425/donald-trump-twitter-emmys-2017/) \[Associated Press\] [Trump Called a U.S.-Australia Refugee Swap ‘Dumb.’ But the First Refugees Will Soon Arrive in the U.S.](http://time.com/4949330/australia-us-refugee-swap-deal/) \[TIME\] [Senate Panel Calls Off Meeting With President Trump’s Lawyer Amid Dispute](http://time.com/4948506/senate-meeting-michael-cohen-canceled/) \[Associated Press\] ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:05] Donald Trump wants to keep you in suspense. The [00:09] President loves to draw attention to his policy decisions [00:11] by teasing them ahead of time. You're gonna find out [00:12] very soon. Thank you all very much. Often, stressing [00:17] how he's not made up his mind yet. You probably [00:19] haven't made the decision yourself. You're gonna- I [00:20] actually haven't. It starts tweet. Trump will say he's [00:23] made a decision and will make an announcement [00:25] soon. Stay tuned, he often says. He means [00:29] that literally. Trump's tweets spur cable TV into action. [00:32] Pundits make predictions. White House staffers give [00:35] hints on which way he might go. Ultimately he wants a [00:38] fair deal for the American people and he will have an [00:40] announcement coming on that shortly. In many cases, [00:42] the suspense is real. Trump often gets conflicting [00:46] advice from his advisors and he really could go in [00:48] different directions. But the technique is most [00:51] successful when Trump is hiring someone, such as [00:52] when he picked his running mate, Mike Pence, his [00:54] secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, or his nominee for the [00:59] Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch. [ APPLAUSE ] So was that [01:00] a surprise? Was it? But he's even [01:05] used it to score airtime to reverse himself on whether [01:07] President Obama was born in the United States. [01:10] President Barack Obama was born [01:15] in the United States period. Or how he'd respond if he [01:18] lost the election. Now to [ INAUDIBLE ] to that principle. [01:21] What I'm saying is that I'll tell you at the time. I'll keep [01:24] you in suspense. 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