World

Talks on Iran nuclear deal amid questions of US commitment

16 of March 2018

FILE - This is Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 file photo of CIA Director Michael Pompeo, as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Iran nuclear deal was in near terminal condition and on life support even before President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but his dismissal this week may hasten its demise. As CIA chief and Iran hawk Mike Pompeo prepares to take the helm of the State Department, the Trump administration is weighing whether to withdraw from the agreement earlier than the president has threatened, according to officials and outside advisers briefed on the matter. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta),FILE - This is Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 file photo of CIA Director Michael Pompeo, as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Iran nuclear deal was in near terminal condition and on life support even before President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but his dismissal this week may hasten its demise. As CIA chief and Iran hawk Mike Pompeo prepares to take the helm of the State Department, the Trump administration is weighing whether to withdraw from the agreement earlier than the president has threatened, according to officials and outside advisers briefed on the matter. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Talks on the Iran nuclear deal are about to get underway in Vienna amid growing questions about the U.S. commitment to the plan. President Donald Trump has vowed to walk away from the 2015 agreement in mid-May unless what the president calls fatal flaws are addressed.

VIENNA (AP) — Talks on the Iran nuclear deal are about to get underway in Vienna amid growing questions about the U.S. commitment to the plan.

President Donald Trump has vowed to walk away from the 2015 agreement in mid-May unless what the president calls fatal flaws are addressed. This week’s firing of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the choice of Iran hard-liner Mike Pompeo to replace him have fueled speculation Washington will pull out.

An indication of American thinking could come Friday, when the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the European Union and Iran gather for a periodic meeting of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Joint Commission, or JCPOA, in Vienna.

State Department policy planning chief Brian Hook is leading the U.S. delegation.