image Chairman and CEO of US oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, speaks during the 2015 Oil and Money conference in central London on October 7, 2015. AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State recommends a review of the Iran nuclear deal

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, announced he would recommend a “full review of the nuclear agreement with Iran, but noted that he did not call for an outright rejection of the 2015 accord. Speaking in his Senate confirmation hearing, Tillerson stressed that it was imperative to verify whether the Islamic Republic is indeed meeting its obligations.

“With respect to the recent agreement to limit Iran’s ability to advance or make progress towards developing a nuclear weapon, If confirmed are my recommendations and I think this consistent with president elect is now is to do a full review of that agreement as well as any number of side agreements that I understand are part of that agreement, examine what you know whether Iran and our ability to verify whether Iran is meeting its obligations under the agreement and ensure that we are enforcing all the mechanisms available to hold them to that agreement,” said Tillerson.

During the Presidential campaign, President elect Donald Trump has repeatedly bashed the nuclear agreement, saying his “number one priority” would be to dismantle it, a declaration warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who on several occasions has referred to the agreement with the Islamic Republic, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction, as “a historic mistake.”