
U.S.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff General Joseph Dunford (R) testify during a hearing before Senate
Armed Services Committee October 3, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington,
DC. The committee held a hearing on “Political and Security Situation
in Afghanistan.” Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES
NORTH AMERICA / AFP
Mattis’s expression of support for the 2015 agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program was in sharp contrast with Trump’s blunt assessment that the deal is an “embarrassment.”
Asked during a Senate hearing whether he believed it was in the national interest, Mattis replied: “Yes, senator, I do.”
“I believe at this point in time, absent indication to the contrary, it is something that the president should consider staying with,” he said.
Trump must notify Congress every 90 days whether Iran is abiding by the accord and whether the lifting of sanctions against Tehran is in the US national interest.
He has so far certified that Iran is in compliance with the agreement but has indicated the next deadline on October 15 will be crucial.
Iran and the other signatories — China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany — defend the deal as a guarantee of the peaceful, non-military purposes of Tehran’s nuclear program.
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