FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The 2015 Iran nuclear agreement faces a potentially fateful week, with a series of deadlines awaiting President Donald Trump as Tehran reacts to recent antigovernment protests.
Mr. Trump is expected to again notify Congress he doesn’t believe the Iran deal is in the best interest of the U.S., restating a well-known position. More important, Mr. Trump will have several opportunities starting Wednesday to refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief to Iran under the deal, which would put Washington in breach of its terms.
To stay in the deal, Mr. Trump must periodically agree to waive penalties imposed under a variety of U.S. statutes. In exchange for sanctions relief from the U.S., the United Nations and other countries, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program.
The recent protests in Iran have added to the uncertainty, as Mr. Trump has backed protesters while denouncing the economic benefits he says the nuclear agreement has provided to Iran’s government.
While Mr. Trump could seize on the protests as a basis for rejecting the sanctions waivers, he could also sign the waivers while taking other steps to punish Iran.”
-Felicia Schwartz, “Trump Faces Pivotal Decisions on Iran Sanctions,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 7, 2018 04:32pm