Mattis: Stick to Iran deal

President Donald Trump's top Pentagon advisers told Congress Tuesday they believe Iran is sticking to the 2015 agreement to halt its nuclear weapons program and expressed support for keeping the pact.

“At this point in time, absent indications to the contrary, it is something the president should consider staying in,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee.


Trump must decide by Oct. 15 whether to certify that Iran is keeping up with its end of the deal, which lifted economic sanctions in return for Iran freezing its nuclear weapons development and allowing more intrusive inspections of its atomic facilities.

Trump during the presidential campaign railed against the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — which was negotiated by the Obama administration along with Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany — and vowed to rip it up. He has continued to contend that it was not tough enough on the Islamic Republic, which remains a state-sponsor of terrorism, and a better deal is possible.

But appearing alongside Mattis, Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also told the panel Iran “is not in material breach” of the agreement, contending that the pact has “delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran.”

Asked about Trump's criticism of the deal, Mattis also offered that “I support the rigorous review that he has got going on right now." But when pressed by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on whether he thinks remaining in the pact is in the U.S. national security interest, he replied “Yes, senator, I do.”

The Senate hearing was convened to hear from both Pentagon leaders on the Trump administration's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan — and both men were admonished by panel chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), for failing to provide enough information to Congress about the Trump administration’s new strategy and decision to send thousands of more troops.

The committee “still does not know many of the crucial details of the strategy. This is totally unacceptable,” McCain said, adding that it was “bizarre that for a hearing of such importance our witnesses failed to submit written testimony to this committee.”

The August announcement of a new strategy “came after months of delay and indecision," McCain continued, though he conceded that "it was encouraging in some respects."

In particular he praised the lack of timelines for withdrawing the new troops,

Setting a date certain for the draw-down of American forces was a hallmark of the Obama administration approach, which was “consistently more interested in leaving Afghanistan than in succeeding there,” McCain said.

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Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the committee, also took a skeptical tone. “Some have suggested that we have already been down this path,” he said, telling Mattis and Dunford, “We will ask you in many different ways, what will be different about this effort” than previous strategy changes and troop increases.

Mattis pushed back in his testimony, touting positive developments in Afghanistan in recent weeks. Afghan military casualties are down this year, he said, and U.S. and other NATO forces are “holding the line.”

“Violence and progress in Afghanistan continue to coexist, but the uncertainty in the region and the NATO campaign has been replaced by certainty due to the implementation of President Trump’s new South Asia strategy,” Mattis said.

Mattis said that there are “approximately 11,000” American troops in Afghanistan, the same number the Pentagon announced before reinforcements began to deploy to the country. He placed the number of reinforcements at "over 3,000."