Trump Administration Eyes Nuclear Treaty With Iran

The United States’ policy vis-à-vis Iran’s nuclear program is slowly crystallizing, as Washington’s special envoy on the matter revealed that the White House’s strategic goal is to formalize a comprehensive atomic treaty with the Islamic Republic that also will place restrictions on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and regional adventurism. President Donald Trump in May pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear accord—arguing that it did nothing to curb the Iranian regime’s ongoing “nefarious” behavior nor did it carry the diplomatic weight and legal validity of a formal treaty and instead constituted an executive agreement between governments. The revelation comes just days ahead of the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where President Trump has expressed a willingness to meet with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. To date, Iran has shown little interest in engaging the American administration which in August re-imposed sanctions on Tehran with a second tranche targeting the country’s crucial energy and shipping sectors set to take effect in November. Instead, the Iranians are holding talks with European powers, along with Russia and China, aimed at devising mechanisms to circumvent U.S. financial penalties and thereby salvage the original deal. President Trump is slated to chair a session on Iran during the UNGA meet which is expected to ratchet up the pressure on the Islamic Republic.