Donald Trump will announce whether he will pull the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday evening.
The president revealed he would set out his decision just hours after Boris Johnson pleaded with him not to throw the “baby out with the bath water” during a diplomatic dash to Washington.
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2018
The president has branded the deal the “worst” ever backed by the US and reimposing sanctions would effectively torpedo the international alliance behind the deal.
Mr Johnson met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo but did not hold talks with the president.
The Foreign Secretary told the Fox & Friends morning news show Iran had been “behaving badly” and flaws in the deal needed to be fixed but warned against ditching it.
“If you do that you have to answer the question what next?
Fantastic to be back in Washington for talks with my American friends on a huge range of issues. You can read my @nytimes piece today at https://t.co/ASRlUFhIIs
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 7, 2018
“What if the Iranians do rush for a nuclear weapon? Are we seriously saying that we are going to bomb those facilities at Fordo and Natanz?
“Is that really a realistic possibility? Or do we work round what we have got and push back on Iran together?”
He told Sky News: “If he can fix North Korea and if he can fix the Iran nuclear deal then I don’t see why he is any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Barack Obama, who got it before he even did anything.”
The decision to award Mr Obama the prize in 2009 just a short time after he entered the White House proved controversial.
British, French and German diplomats have been working for weeks behind the scenes with US counterparts in an effort to preserve the Iran deal.
The UK’s ambassador to the United States Sir Kim Darroch said the Iran agreement was “a good deal” but efforts were ongoing to “find some language, produce some action that meets the president’s concerns”.
The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their “pockets.” The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by the US, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain with Iran in 2015.
Under its terms, Iran is committed to a peaceful nuclear energy programme.
Mr Trump will announce his decision at 7pm UK time.
