Trump presses Europe to ‘fix’ Iran nuke deal

WASHINGTON >> Trump administration negotiators have a tough sales job as they pressure European allies to accept new restrictions to “fix” the Iran nuclear deal: Even if the Europeans agree, President Donald Trump may blow up the deal anyway.

Given a mid-May deadline by Trump, U.S. negotiators are working with Britain, France and Germany on a follow-on pact that would address Trump’s three major complaints.

First, Trump wants to penalize Iran for ballistic missiles, which weren’t part of the original deal. He also wants to expand access for international nuclear inspectors and prolong the limits on Iran’s nuclear activity, currently scheduled to expire in several years.

But Trump has refused to give the Europeans or even his own negotiators a clear litmus test for what will be good enough to keep him in the landmark 2015 accord.

Brian Hook, the State Department policy chief who’s running the negotiations, said if there’s no agreement by May, Trump will certainly withdraw.