FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Iranian Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi on Monday [9-18-17] accused the U.S. of violating the spirit and letter of the 2015 nuclear deal, escalating a clash between the two countries at the start of a crucial week of talks on the accord’s future.
President Donald Trump has said he expects not to certify Iran’s compliance with the accord when a decision comes due next month, a move that could unravel the agreement. Failure to certify the accord would give Congress an opportunity to decide whether to re-impose U.S. sanctions that were suspended as part of the 2015 deal.
Speaking in Vienna at the annual conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which oversees Iran’s compliance with the accord, Mr. Salehi said Iran is complying fully with the 2015 agreement. Under the pact, Tehran significantly reduced its nuclear program…
Mr. Salehi’s comments took place as world leaders gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly. A meeting of foreign ministers from Iran and the six countries that negotiated the agreement is planned for Wednesday in New York. If the U.S. and Iranian officials both attend, that would be the highest level meeting between the two countries since Mr. Trump took office.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to discuss the agreement when he meets Mr. Trump later Monday. Both leaders have fiercely criticized the deal.”
-Laurence Norman, “Iran Accuses U.S. of Sabotaging Nuclear Deal Ahead of U.N. Talks,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 18, 2017 07:56am