Readers React: Trump’s Mideast legacy will be a hard-line, more dangerous regime in Iran

To the editor: Doyle McManus is right that President Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal will likely lead to Iran renewing its nuclear program. In fact, Iran has already said it would do that.

Another consequence is that Trump’s decision strengthens the hardline Iranian Revolutionary Guard and weakens the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani. That will tilt Iranian politics to the right and will likely push Iran to take a hardline position in opposition to American allies.

A more hardline Iran will likely expand its military umbrella over parts of the Middle East, and that is exactly the opposite of what Trump says he is after, and it surely is not what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants.

Jeff Warner, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: It now appears to be up to the adults in the room — the other five nations that negotiated the nuclear deal with Iran — to clean up our mess.

But all of these “adults” continue to cling to their own nuclear weapons like toddlers who won’t let go of their baby blankets. Even Germany has U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil, and German pilots are trained to drop them from their aircraft in a conflict scenario.

The problem runs much deeper than a demagogue who willfully and unnecessarily violated a multilateral deal that was working. Nuclear weapons are illegitimate tools of coercion and mass killing.

While Trump is busy tearing up a nuclear agreement, responsible nations are signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signaling their unconditional rejection of nuclear weapons.

Rick Wayman, Santa Barbara

The writer is director of programs for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

..

To the editor: Can you imagine that, a politician actually doing what he said he would?

Coming hard on the heels of a red line on Syria and “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” it’s a breath of fresh air, agree with the move or not.

Louis H. Nevell, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook