US President Donald Trump is set to decide whether or not to reimpose wide-ranging sanctions on Iran, the latest action that puts into question the survival of the 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and the Islamic Republic.
Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to "rip up" the deal signed by his predecessor Barack Obama, is expected to announce his decision to renew the waiver on US sanctions against Iran as early as Friday.
Analysts said Trump's "persistent unpredictability" has already cast a cloud of doubt over world capitals, warning that his actions could force Tehran to abandon the deal in the long run and return to all-out hostilities with Washington, DC.
As part of the implementation of the nuclear deal in 2015, US sanctions against Iran were waived. But the US president is required to renew that waiver every 120 days.
If Trump fails to do so, several US sanctions on Iran are automatically reimposed, including those against Iranian businesses and foreign companies that deal with Iran. The last time Trump issued a waiver was in September 2017, and the renewal is due on Friday.