Trump May Look to Renegotiate Iran Nuclear Deal

"Instead of tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump administration is exploring how to tighten its enforcement and renegotiate key terms...

Under the 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from some U.S., European and U.N. economic sanctions. Many experts consider it a success so far.

The Trump administration this week signaled a harder but ambiguous line toward Iran by putting the Islamic Republic 'on notice' after an Iranian ballistic missile test, and then by imposing economic sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities on Friday.

The options the administration is considering include insisting the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, get tougher policing Iran's compliance, including demanding access to military sites, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

'The basic idea is that the IAEA has to be granted access,' said one source with knowledge of the matter, acknowledging it would be difficult for the U.S. administration to win support for military site inspections from the other 34 countries on the IAEA board of governors.

The U.S. also would seek to remove 'sunset' provisions from the pact that allow some restrictions on Iran's nuclear program to start expiring in 10 years, something critics consider the deal's biggest flaw, the two sources said.

In addition, the administration could press the agency to report more information on Iran's compliance with the nuclear pact, one of the sources said, noting the agency has cut back on reporting some data, such as how much low-enriched uranium Iran is stockpiling..."