Trump Seemingly Applies Carrot and Stick over Sanctions for Iran

Rather than allowing economic sanctions on Iran that the Obama nuclear deal lifted to be re-imposed or tearing up the agreement altogether has he promised during the campaign he would do, President Trump appears to be taking a stab at having it both ways. Simultaneously, the president signed the waiver he chided his predecessor for doing that prevented old sanctions from “snapping back” into place, but added a couple of new ones as a punishment for the recent Iranian missile activity. Many saw the new sanctions as tokens and warnings rather than as teeth behind the president’s threat. A spokesman for the administration explained that the agreement is undergoing a review and only when that’s finished will “comprehensive Iran” policy be formulated. Only last month the president certified to Congress that Iran is living up to the deal, but he also sent Secretary of State Tillerson to Tehran with sharp criticisms of its behavior and an assessment that it’s unlikely the Obama deal will meet its goals.