US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC
- Speaking at a rally in Indiana on Thursday Trump said tough inspections were still needed.
Known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal between Tehran and major world powers forces Iran to open any site to inspectors within 24 days at most and introduced 24-hour remote surveillance at some sites.
Supporters of the Obama-era accord argue it provided "the world's most robust" monitoring regime, allowing access to the Islamic republic's most sensitive nuclear sites.
Speaking at a rally in Indiana on Thursday Trump said tough inspections were still needed.
"We must be able to go to a site and check that site. We have to be able to go into their military bases to see whether or not they're cheating," he said. The White House is demanding the existing inspection regime, however imperfect, continue under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
"We expect Iran will continue to implement the Additional Protocol and cooperate with the IAEA whether or not the JCPOA remains in place," one senior administration official said.
A second official confirmed to AFP on Thursday that Washington still wanted the inspections.
Other signatories to the Iran deal - including Tehran, China and European powers - have vowed to press ahead with the agreement's implementation.
But officials are privately sceptical about how long it can survive, particularly if the United States imposes sanctions on European companies doing business in Iran.
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