Keeping deal alive would be difficult

WASHINGTON – President Trump announced Tuesday that he would reimpose “the highest level” of economic sanctions on Iran and pull the United States out of the nuclear agreement negotiated in 2015 with the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany.

But European leaders and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have suggested that they might try to keep the accord intact without the U.S. That would be a tall order. European companies doing business with Iran would have to decide whether they want to keep those accounts if it means alienating the U.S. and possibly facing sanctions.

White House officials stressed that the sanctions immediately bar companies from entering into new contracts with Tehran. Existing contracts would have to be wound down over a period of several months.

Rouhani has threatened to restart the country’s uranium enrichment if talks with the agreement’s remaining parties fall apart.

Trump warned against that outcome in his address Tuesday: “If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.”