The measure comes exactly one year after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement that lifted U.S. and international sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. But as the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal approached, tensions between Washington and Tehran ratcheted up, and the United States is deployee a aircraft carrier and bomber group to the Persian Gulf. The United States has said the sanctions will only be lifted if Iran fundamentally changes its behavior and character. “Since our exit from the Iran deal, which is broken beyond repair, the United States has put forward 12 conditions that offer the basis of a comprehensive agreement with Iran. Administration officials insist the economic pressure is doing its job and say the blame for Iran’s spiraling inflation and budget crisis lies with Tehran.

Source: Washington Post May 08, 2019 16:20 UTC