WASHINGTON: The nuclear accord with Iran is in the interest of the United States, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, and indicated President Donald Trump should consider maintaining it.
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."
"If we can confirm that Iran is living by the agreement, if we can determine that this is in our best interest, then surely we should stay with it."