Trump says Iran violated 'spirit' of nuclear deal

WASHINGTON -- Iran is failing to fulfill the "spirit" of its nuclear deal with world powers, President Donald Trump declared Thursday, setting an ominous tone for his forthcoming decision about whether to pull the U.S. out of the landmark agreement.

As he often had during the president campaign, Trump ripped into the deal struck by Iran, the U.S. and other world powers in 2015 and said "it shouldn't have been signed." Yet he pointedly stopped short of telegraphing whether or not the U.S. would stay in.

"They are not living up to the spirit of the agreement, I can tell you that," Trump said of the Iranians, though he did not mention any specific violations. Earlier this week, the administration certified to Congress that Iran was complying -- at least technically -- with the terms of the deal, clearing the way for Iran to continue enjoying sanctions relief in the near term.

In a news conference alongside Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni, Trump also said:

• The U.S. is committed to a strong Europe, though he didn't say directly whether he prefers the European Union stay intact.
• He sees no military role for the U.S. in stabilizing Libya.
• It's possible he soon may be able to strike deals with Congress on health care and funding legislation to head off a government shutdown.

On Iran, Trump and his top officials have been walking a narrow line as they seek to show an aggressive stance.

While disparaging the nuclear deal and accusing Iran of fomenting violence and terrorism throughout the Middle East, Trump has avoided committing to abandoning the agreement, a move that would be opposed by U.S. businesses and European allies.

Yet the president seems keenly aware his indecisiveness about the deal's future is a step back from his campaign declaration as president, he would rip it up or renegotiate.

He said of Iran, "I think they are doing a tremendous disservice to an agreement that was signed."

Under the deal, brokered during the Obama administration, Iran agreed to roll back key aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for relief from certain economic sanctions.

Critics have said it's unfathomable the U.S. would grant sanctions relief to Tehran even as it continues testing ballistic missiles, violating human rights and supporting extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.

By design, the nuclear deal does not address those Western grievances, meaning Tehran can be in compliance even as it violates U.N. resolutions and remains a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism. The U.S. has continued to punish Tehran for those activities with non-nuclear sanctions that also fall outside the purview of the deal.

Trump hasn't given a timeline for when his administration's review of Iran policy -- including whether to stick with the deal -- will be complete.

But the U.S. must decide next month whether to renew a waiver so Iran can continue receiving sanctions relief.