FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. would remain a part of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement only if it is modified, a position that could heighten tension at a planned meeting Wednesday [9-20-17] of countries that are part of the accord, including Iran.
Mr. Tillerson’s demand for modifications, made in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday night, was the most specific such U.S. demand yet and comes as European officials have pressed the Trump administration to remain part of the deal.
Wednesday’s meeting, on the sidelines of this year’s United Nations General Assembly gathering, will mark the first time that Mr. Tillerson and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif meet and will represent the highest level of contact yet between the U.S. and Iran under the Trump administration.
U.S. allies have suggested ways to tighten oversight of the agreement, including with a greater focus on Iran’s commitments not to work on the weaponization of nuclear material.
President Donald Trump faces a deadline in October to tell Congress whether or not Iran is abiding by the accord and has said he doesn’t think it is…
The Trump administration also is reviewing its Iran policy, of which its participation in the nuclear agreement is a part.”
-Felicia Schwartz, “U.S. Demands Changes to Iran Nuclear Deal, Tillerson Says,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 20, 2017 03:00am