Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday he believes staying in the Iran nuclear deal is in the best interest of the U.S.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tillerson was asked whether he agrees with Defense Secretary James Mattis that he would not want Congress to immediately impose sanctions that would end the multilateral deal.
“I do agree with that,” Tillerson said. “And I think the president does as well.”
{mosads}Tillerson said the U.S. will see if it can address the flaws in the Iran nuclear deal by staying within the agreement and working with the country’s friends and allies.
“That may come in a secondary agreement as well,” Tillerson said.
He said the U.S. wants to fully enforce the agreement as it exists and “then begin the process of addressing the flaws.”
His comments come after President Trump declared Friday that the Iran nuclear deal, because it is not being strictly enforced, is no longer in the national security interest of the United States. He stopped short of withdrawing from the Obama-era pact and demanded reforms.
“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said during a speech at the White House.
“We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” he continued.
The president said that Iran has committed “multiple violations of the agreement” and accused Tehran of “not living up to the spirit of the deal.”