Trump Consults with National Security Advisors Ahead of Decision on Iran Sanctions

Reports indicate that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, held a meeting on Thursday, January 21, with his senior national security advisors to discuss whether to extend or lift the suspension of Iran's nuclear sanctions. Meanwhile, a U.S. official told Reuters that it is not expected that Trump will announce his decision on Thursday. The official, who requested anonymity, stated that the decision will likely be announced by the White House on Friday. This comes as Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, emphasized on Thursday that the U.S. President still believes that the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers is the 'worst' agreement of all time. The spokesperson noted that one of the major flaws of this agreement is the limitations that allow Iran to openly advance its nuclear program and could quickly reach the threshold of nuclear weapon capacity. She added: 'It is very clear that we consider this a major problem. The administration continues to work with Congress and allies to address these flaws.' Although the White House spokesperson did not comment on the timing of Trump's decision, Steve Goldstein, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, mentioned that Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, is currently at the White House and that Trump will announce his decision soon. The Trump administration must decide by January 23 whether it intends to extend the suspension of sanctions under the nuclear agreement with Iran. This extension occurs every 120 days. The U.S. President extended the suspension of Iran's nuclear sanctions on September 14 of this year. The nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers, namely the U.S., the U.K., France, China, and Russia, along with Germany, was reached in 2015, and according to congressional legislation, the U.S. President must report to Congress every 90 days on Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. Following the previous deadline in October, Trump refrained from certifying Iran's actions. Trump has previously expressed concern about the 'sunset clause' in the Iran nuclear deal. The 'sunset clause' pertains to the lifting of restrictions after the time period of the nuclear agreement with Iran, raising concerns that 'Iran could achieve the capability to build nuclear weapons even before the end of the agreement.' In this context, it is reported that the U.S. government and Congress are seeking to eliminate this 'sunset clause,' which would lead to the removal of oversight and restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. Iranian officials have recently emphasized that the re-imposition of nuclear sanctions by the U.S. would violate the agreement between Iran and the world powers, and Tehran will take reciprocal actions in this regard, one of which could be increasing uranium enrichment.