SIGN UP FOR OUR Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that the Donald Trump administration is “evaluating” whether or not it will continue to maintain the nuclear agreement with Iran and five great powers, a pact the new president harshly criticized during his election campaign.
“Well, we’re evaluating that as we speak,” Pence told ABC News in a Sunday interview in response to a question about whether the Trump administration would continue to be bound by the 2015 pact.
“I think the president will make that decision in the days ahead. And he’ll listen to all of his advisers, but make no mistake about it. The resolve of this president is such that Iran would do well to think twice about their continued hostile and belligerent actions,” the vice president added.
The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and entities linked with Tehran’s ballistic missile program in response to Iran‘s medium-range missile test a week ago.
The air force wing of the elite Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution of Iran said Saturday, one day after the sanctions, it had begun a series of military drills that included testing of radar systems and indigenous missiles.
“Iran is playing with fire – they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President (Barack) Obama was to them. Not me!” Trump posted on Twitter on Friday.
Despite his criticism of the nuclear accord reached by the Obama administration with Tehran, Trump has made no move to date to withdraw from the multilateral pact, to which Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China are also party.
Both U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have come out against withdrawing from the pact, although the latter during his Senate confirmation hearing recommended a “complete review” of its terms.
In imposing new sanctions on Iran last Friday, the Trump administration warned that that was only a first step toward counteracting Iran‘s “provocative behavior,” and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn announced the end of U.S. “tolerance” regarding the Islamic Republic.
“The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate Iran‘s provocations that threaten our interests. The days of turning a blind eye to Iran‘s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Flynn said in a White House statement. — EFE
