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Trump Election May Impact on Iran Nuclear Deal
(Washington Post) Carol Morello - The future of the nuclear agreement with Iran is in the air with the prospect that a Donald Trump administration could take steps that would cause Iran to abandon its commitments, experts said Wednesday. "I think it's basically the end game for the deal," said Richard Nephew, a Columbia University fellow who was the lead sanctions expert on the U.S. negotiating team. "It's very hard for me to see, based on the rhetoric, letting it stand as is, or not doing something that forces the Iranians to walk away." Uncertainty in Tehran is not necessarily a bad thing, said Mark Dubowitz, head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who opposed the deal. "I could see a Trump administration beginning to threaten the use of American power, and put the Iranians to a choice between severe sanctions and potential military action, or going back to renegotiate some key elements of the deal," he said, citing sunset provisions that lift some limitations after seven to 15 years. "One should never underestimate the power of U.S. secondary sanctions and the fear that creates in the marketplace - a fear that has now been intensified as a result of a President Trump."