Trump Prepares to Decertify Iran Nuclear Deal and Then Save it

Donald Trump’s national security team has unanimously recommended that he decertify the Iran nuclear deal – but that he stop short of pushing Congress to reimpose sanctions on Tehran that could unravel the agreement. Trump’s team plans to work with Congress and European allies to apply new pressure on the Iranian regime, according to a strategy developed in an Iran policy review led by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. But the strategy assumes the nuclear deal will remain intact for now. As a candidate, Trump described the agreement as “catastrophic” and “the worst deal ever.” But the strategy represents a nuanced approach to one of the most important foreign policy decisions of his early presidency. The goal is to allow the president to demonstrate contempt for the agreement and broadcast a new level of toughness toward the Iranian regime—without triggering the international chaos several of his advisers warn would follow from a total withdrawal from the 2015 deal. Administration officials cautioned that the strategy has not yet been finalized, and that it could change before the president makes an official announcement.