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UK envoy said Trump ditched Iran deal to spite Obama: Report

This article is more than 12 months old

LONDON: Britain's Ambassador to Washington believed US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal because it was associated with his predecessor Barack Obama, according to leaked documents published on Saturday.

"The administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons - it was Obama's deal," ambassador Kim Darroch wrote in a diplomatic cable in May last year.

The cable was included in a second batch of leaked reports published by the Mail on Sunday newspaper, the first of which caused Mr Darroch to resign.

Separately, the Sunday Times reported that an investigation into the leak had identified a civil servant as the person responsible.

Working with officials from the National Cyber Security Centre, part of spy agency GCHQ, and MI6, the probe has homed in on a suspect who had access to historical Foreign Office files, the paper said.

'INEPT' WHITE HOUSE

The first leaked reports authored by Mr Darroch caused major turmoil between Britain and its closest ally. The ambassador was reported to have described the White House as "inept", prompting Mr Trump to claim the ambassador was a "pompous fool" whom he would no longer deal with.

Mr Darroch resigned on Wednesday, saying it was now "impossible" to do his job.

In May last year, Britain's then Foreign Minister Boris Johnson went to Washington to try to persuade Mr Trump not to abandon the Iran deal.

In a cable sent afterwards, Mr Darroch reportedly indicated that there were divisions in Mr Trump's team over the decision and criticised the White House for a lack of long-term strategy.

"They can't articulate any 'day-after' strategy; and contacts with State Department this morning suggest no sort of plan for reaching out to partners and allies, whether in Europe or the region," he wrote. - AFP

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