President Trump on Tuesday announced that he is withdrawing from the international nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing U.S. sanctions against Tehran, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump’s decision, announced at the White House, follows the failure of last-ditch efforts by Britain, France and Germany to convince him that his concerns about “flaws” in the accord could be addressed without violating its terms or ending it altogether.

“This was a horribly one sided deal that never, ever should have been made,” Trump said.

The U.S. president, who has called the agreement weak and poorly negotiated, will announce that he will no longer withhold U.S. sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program that were set aside under the 2015 deal, effectively taking the United States out of the agreement among Iran and six world powers.

Vice President Pence briefed members of Congress about the decision Tuesday, and Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has served as an emissary for European allies that want the United States to remain in the agreement.

It was not immediately clear wether Trump will announce the immediate reinstatement of all sanctions or just a large and significant set of banking-related penalties that are due for review by Saturday. Another set is due for review in July, and Macron had hoped to use this period to continue efforts to negotiate a U.S.-European agreement.

A congressional official said Pence had told lawmakers the United States will no longer participate in the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The United States will restore sanctions with 90- and 180-day wind-down periods for various aspects, the official said.

Pence did not speak to reporters.

A decision to immediately reinstate all nuclear-related sanctions would be the most extreme step Trump could take now. People familiar with the decision said Trump remains open to the possibility of a supplemental agreement to “fix” the deal, but prospects for that approach appeared dim.

The three European allies have vowed to remain in the agreement and while the deal itself contains no provisions for withdrawal, Iran has threatened to reactivate suspended elements of its nuclear program if the United States reneges on any of its obligations under the pact’s terms.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump had decided to reinstate all nuclear-related sanctions.

Trump, who criticized the Iran deal throughout his presidential campaign, said in January that the United States would “withdraw” unless the agreement was rewritten to address his concerns.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a sometime Trump critic, warned Tuesday that the ramifications of a U.S. withdrawal could reach beyond the Middle East.

“The agreement obviously had problems it didn’t address, Iran’s malign behavior or ballistic missiles. But after you’re in it and Iran has already realized the benefits of it … to now allow them to get out of their obligations on the nuclear side would be foolhardy, in my view,” Flake told reporters. “And it also says more about our willingness to work with our allies. We’re having enough problems around the world in terms of our reliability, whether it’s trade or commercial engagements or security arrangements. To add this now, at this point, would not be good for us, particularly the knock-on effects on other arrangements, perhaps with North Korea.”

Read this story at The Washington Post.

In this May 5, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on tax reform at Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Trump says he will announce his decision on whether to keep the U.S. in the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Manuel Balce Ceneta