But that outcome, which would likely terminate the agreement, is precisely what the Europeans say they are trying to avoid. There is nervousness that Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, with his eye on a post-Brexit trade deal with Washington, might crack, but European officials consider that possibility unlikely. John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, has argued that the Americans can make this request themselves. “If there is no diplomacy or something else poisons it militarily, the Europeans have triggered a clock that could end up more quickly at the Security Council,’’ she said. The government in Iran is cracking down on protests, and with parliamentary elections next month, hard-line rhetoric is bound to increase.

Source: New York Times January 15, 2020 19:17 UTC