‘The administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons – it was Obama’s deal,’ ambassador Darroch wrote in a diplomatic cable in May 2018…
In a cable sent afterwards, Darroch indicated there were divisions in 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,’ Darroch wrote.
He reported back that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his talks with Johnson, ‘did some subtle distancing by talking throughout about ‘the President’s decision”.
