OREANDA-NEWS. November 23, 2016. One of the staples of US president-elect Donald Trump's campaign was a promise to tear apart the Iran nuclear deal.

But neither Trump nor his team have clarified his position since the election, and congressional Republican leaders are starting to downplay the prospect of an immediate repeal of the deal that in January lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. Iran since then has increased production by 800,000 b/d to 3.68mn b/d.

The Senate by the end of the year will vote on the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act through 2026, majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said. The House approved the extension nearly unanimously on 15 November. The Senate will take up the House version of the legislation, which merely extends the two-decade-old act prohibiting US businesses from doing business in Iran.

The Senate's original version of the extension bill would have added provisions aimed at rolling back some of the commitments the US made under the nuclear agreement. But President Barack Obama said he would veto any bill undermining that agreement. The administration will continue to fulfill US obligations under the Iran deal through the end of Obama's term on 20 January, the White House said today. Iran has met its obligations, and withdrawing from the agreement or violating its terms carries grave risks, the White House said.

The US should not immediately withdraw from the nuclear agreement, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) said. The next administration should work with its European allies to ensure a unified position on Iran, he said. Corker was among the staunchest opponents of the deal and previously called for its repeal.

The apparent change of tactic may reflect a realization that the key steps the US administration already has taken to enable Iran's reintegration into the global economy may be difficult to undo without cooperation from the EU and other signatories of the nuclear agreement. House speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) today asked Obama to prevent the US Treasury from issuing additional guidance to reassure non-US investors about doing business with Iran. Implementing additional steps to bolster foreign investment in Iran would complicate the ability of a Trump administration to develop its own policy, Ryan said.

Trump is still working on putting together his foreign policy team. His nominee to head the CIA, representative Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas), and designated national security adviser Michael Flynn have advocated a tough line on Iran and denounced the nuclear deal.

But Obama predicted last week that Trump would not follow through with his Iran pledge.

Trump's core message of economic nationalism and a transactional approach to international relations suggests he would try to renegotiate, rather than repeal, the Iran deal, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich said. Trump's proposed policy on dealing with militant group Isis in Syria in effect favors Tehran, Middle East Institute vice president for research Paul Salem said. "Trump's preferences in Syria are basically pro-Iranian, favoring Iran's coalition including [Syrian president] Bashar al-Assad, [Lebanon-based militant group] Hezbollah and Russia to take the lead there."

Avoiding a direct confrontation with Iran also appeals to the isolationist and realist foreign policy wings in both parties. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), the only House member to vote against extending the Iran Sanctions Act, said he hoped Trump would follow up on his campaign promise of a less interventionist US foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. The Democratic party should work with Trump on issues such as improving relations with Russia or upholding the Iran deal, representative Adam Smith (D-Washington) said.