Trump Sticks With Obama Playbook On Iran Nuclear Deal
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(JTA) — The Trump administration certified that Iran is in compliance with the deal it signed with the world powers to rein in its nuclear program.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday sent a letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. certifying the compliance with the 2015 deal, which exchanges sanctions relief for a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program.
The State Department must update Congress on Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal every 90 days. Tuesday’s was the first update for the Trump administration.
The certification was the latest signal that President Donald Trump, who campaigned against the Iran deal and at times suggested he would scrap it, has as president adopted a more toned down posture related to the Iranian regime.
Trump imposed sanctions on Iranian individuals and businesses after Iran tested ballistic missiles earlier this year, but so had his predecessor, President Barack Obama a year earlier after a similar missile test. Trump has not otherwise been focused on Iran, although he launched a barrage of missiles at Iran’s ally, the Assad regime in Syria, after a chemical weapons attack on a rebel held area.
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