Hawks top doves in political war over Iran deal 10/14/2017 10:14:25 PM President Trumps announcement of the new US strategy on Iran By Raymond Tanter, The Hill, Oct. 13, 2017 -  In a virtual war for Washington, hawks triumphed over doves. Today, the president announced he is “decertifying” the Iran deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the Treasury issued an update on Iran Designations. Decertification is the requirement imposed by a Republican Congress that every 90 days, Obama had to certify the JCPOA was in the national interest, and therefore, the United States was still committed to it. The Iran deal is neither a formal treaty nor an executive agreement; it is an unsigned, nonbinding political commitment. Trump reluctantly certified the deal twice, but this time, he said Iran acted against the spirit of an accord, and it is not in our interest to honor the deal. But decertification will not kill the Iran deal. A middle course...