Iran Nuclear Deal Will Remain, for Now, White House Signals

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Supporters of President Hassan Rouhani, who is running for re-election, at a campaign rally in Isfahan, Iran, on Sunday.

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Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration signaled on Wednesday that it would not, for now, jettison the Iran nuclear deal, despite the president’s harsh criticisms of the agreement during the campaign.

But while acknowledging that the deal would remain in place, the administration imposed modest new sanctions against several Iranian individuals and four other organizations, including a China-based network that supplied missile-related items to a key Iranian defense entity.

“The U.S. and its partners will continue to apply pressure on Iran to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms for everyone in Iran,” said Stuart Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, who will be traveling with President Trump to the Middle East at the end of the week.

The Trump administration has said that it is continuing to study the Iran nuclear deal. But more than three months into the administration, Mr. Trump has softened his criticism.

The announcement came two days before Iranian elections, and just ahead of Mr. Trump’s first overseas trip as president.

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And it marked another decision by Mr. Trump to stick with existing arrangements and try to alter them around the edges.