The administration of US President Donald Trump is currently “evaluating” whether to uphold the Iran nuclear agreement, says Vice President Mike Pence, PressTV reported.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Pence said the White House had not yet made any decisions about honoring the 2015 agreement, which was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations – the US, the UK, Russia, France, China and Germany.
Under the deal, which entered into force in January, 2016, Iran accepted to limit parts of its civilian nuclear program in exchange for the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions.
“The Iranians got a deal from the international community that again, the president and I and our administration think was a terrible deal. It essentially allows Iran to develop a nuclear weapon — in the years ahead at a date certain. And they received hundreds of millions of dollars in cash,” he said.
“The president and I and our administration think it was a terrible deal,” Pence said. “We're evaluating [what to do next] as we speak.”
Trump has been critical of the landmark deal, pledging to “shred” it on his first day in office. The new administration, however, seems divided over that promise.
On Friday, the US Treasury Department undermined the deal by introducing new sanctions against a number of Iranian individuals and companies, days after Tehran successfully test-fired a ballistic missile.
Tehran insists its missile tests do not breach any UN resolution because they are solely for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Meanwhile, US House Speaker Paul Ryan said Saturday that the Iran nuclear deal was irreversible and would sustain the recent developments.
Pence addressed the contradictory views within the administration, noting that Trump had the final say.
“The president will make that decision in the days ahead, and he'll listen to all of his advisers, whether it be Secretary [of State Rex] Tillerson or whether it be Secretary [of Defense James] Mattis. We'll take all the inputs.” he said.