Priebus says Iran deal is ‘on life support’

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday that the Iran nuclear agreement is on life support, but refused to say whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration would get rid of the deal.

“I think it’s on life support. I’ll put it that way. But I’m not here to declare one way or another ultimately where this is going to go,” Priebus told ABC’s “This Week.”

During the campaign, Trump slammed the Iran deal, vowing to make renegotiating or tearing it up completely a top priority of his administration.

{mosads}But Trump’s choice for secretary of Defense recently said the United States must maintain its commitment to the deal, which was negotiated with Iran and international powers. 

“I think it is an imperfect arms control agreement. It’s not a friendship treaty,” James Mattis said during his confirmation hearing last week. “But when America gives her word, we have to live up to it and work with our allies.” 

Priebus said on Sunday that Trump believes the deal is “really bad.”

“I know the president-elect does not like the Iran deal, thinks it is really, really bad. And that’s sort of the starting point on that discussion,” he said.