U.S. not flinching on Iran accord

Trump keeps up pullout rhetoric, leaves door open

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump seems determined to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal next week, with U.S. officials suggesting that any initial diplomatic turbulence will be followed by negotiations for a new agreement.

But Iran is ruling out new talks, calling the current agreement “nonnegotiable.” And America’s European allies continue to back it, saying the deal has been essential to reining in Iran’s nuclear program.

As U.S. allies and the government in Tehran question what might follow a U.S. withdrawal, the Trump administration remains focused on how it could toughen or replace the agreement to address issues such as Iran’s behavior in the Middle East, including its foothold in Syria and support for Hezbollah militants who threaten Israel, and its development of ballistic missiles.

Trump hinted at his thinking last week. While refusing to reveal what he will do by Saturday, he repeated his belief the existing deal is “a horrible agreement for the United States.” But, he added, “that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t negotiate a new agreement.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s government has said the U.S. is “bullying” his country. Iran has argued that the U.S. isn’t fully complying with its side of the deal, a requirement that world powers ease economic sanctions.

Under a law passed by Congress, Trump has to determine periodically whether to continue waiving sanctions linked to transactions with Iran’s central bank. The 2015 deal required the U.S. to lift those sanctions. If they go back into effect, the U.S. will almost certainly be in violation of the agreement.

One possible scenario is that Trump will declare he is backing out of the deal and reimposes sanctions but leaves time before those sanctions take effect. Such a grace period would put new pressure on European allies to make new concessions toward fixing what the U.S. considers the deal’s biggest gaps.