President Trump will extend the Iran nuclear deal for at least several more months, keeping the landmark 2015 pact alive for now. Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. president must notify Congress every 90 days as to whether Iran is fulfilling its requirements under the deal’s terms. The president de-certified the deal under U.S. law in October saying that the sanctions relief that Iran received was disproportionate to the concessions they had to make in return.
The waivers that the president is set to sign this month will be accompanied by targeted sanctions on Iran for human rights abuses, and a strict warning that the president will pull the U.S. out of the deal completely if more concessions aren’t made by the spring.
President Trump received formal recommendations to extend the deal from some of his highest-ranking cabinet members such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. Those recommendations opposed by some Republican lawmakers.
The president’s waiver announcement will also be accompanied by strong criticism of Iran’s response to recent anti-government protests in that country. The next deadline for extending the U.S.’ involvement in the deal will come in mid-May.