FILE - In this July 10, 2019, file photo,. Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Gharib Abadi speaks to the media after the IAEA board of governors meeting at the International Center in Vienna, Austria. President Donald Trumpâs âmaximum pressureâ campaign against Iran is at a crossroads as his administration wrestles with whether to risk stoking international tensions even more by ending one of the last remaining components of the 2015 nuclear deal. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran is at a crossroads.
His administration is trying to decide whether to risk stoking tensions even more by ending one of the last remaining components of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The administration faces a Thursday deadline to decide whether to extend or cancel sanctions waivers to foreign companies working on Iran's civilian nuclear program as permitted under the deal.
Ending the waivers is a move favored by Trump's allies in Congress who endorse a tough approach to Iran. But it also would escalate tensions with Iran and with some European allies.
Two officials say a divided administration is likely to keep the waivers afloat with temporary extensions. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The Iranian flag waves outside of the UN building that hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, office inside in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. President Donald Trumpâs âmaximum pressureâ campaign against Iran is at a crossroads. His administration is trying to decide whether to risk stoking international tensions even more by ending one of the last remaining components of the 2015 nuclear deal. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 7, 2019, file photo, spokesman for Iran's atomic agency Behrouz Kamalvandi speaks in a press briefing in Tehran, Iran. President Donald Trumpâs âmaximum pressureâ campaign against Iran is at a crossroads as his administration wrestles with whether to risk stoking international tensions even more by ending one of the last remaining components of the 2015 nuclear deal. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
The Associated Press