WASHINGTON — The future of the Iran nuclear agreement loomed over talks Tuesday between President Trump and the emerging young leader of Saudi Arabia.
Suggesting that he may take steps to kill the nuclear deal, Trump told reporters that “Iran has not been treating that part of the world or the world itself appropriately,” and “a lot of bad things are happening in Iran.”
He added: “The deal is coming up in one month, and you will see what happens.”
Trump referred to the congressional requirement that he periodically re-certify the Iran nuclear agreement; the next deadline is May 12.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of King Salman and heir to the throne, declined to comment on the Iran nuclear agreement.
“We’ll talk about that today,” he said.
Trump made a series of campaign promises to kill the deal, in which Iran agreed to give up the means to make nuclear weapons as the United States and allies reduce economic sanctions on the Tehran government.
Trump and Saudi officials say the agreement has too many loopholes, and that Iran still wants nuclear weapons.
Despite his rhetoric, Trump did not take affirmative steps to end the agreement, but instead called on Congress and international partners to “fix” parts of it; negotiations on that demand are ongoing.
Some current and past Trump administration, including recently fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have urged Trump to stay in the Iran agreement.
Trump’s meeting with the Saudi crown prince also touched on U.S. assistance as well as Saudi-led military action in Yemen.
The 32-year-old prince is making his first visit to the United State since becoming the heir apparent to King Salman back in June. His three-week tour includes stops in New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.
While in Washington, the crown prince is a also scheduled to meet with the secretaries of defense, treasury, and commerce, as well as congressional leaders from both parties.
He also plans to discuss the Middle East peace process at a dinner with administration officials, including senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Surce:usatoday.com
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