Sputnik - US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy said that the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to meet with President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis and that the decision on recertifying the Iran nuclear deal is expected on January 12.




WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States will announce its decision on recertifying the Iran nuclear deal January 12, US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Steve Goldstein said in a briefing on Tuesday.
"Secretary [of State Rex Tillerson] will be meeting with President [Donald Trump] and [Defense] Secretary [James] Mattis. And we’d expect the decision [on the waiver] on Friday," Goldstein told journalists.


The multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or simply "nuclear deal" is aimed at ensuring the Islamic Republic cannot acquire a nuclear weapon for at least 13 years.

In October, Trump refused to certify that Iran was in compliance with the agreement but stopped short of pulling the United States out of the pact, which also includes the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France, China.

Trump now faces a January 13 deadline on recertifying the deal, with US officials predicting the president will again refuse to certify Iran’s compliance, while some expect Trump to take an additional step of imposing new sanctions on Tehran. The president also faces a series of deadlines this month on whether to extend sanctions waivers.