Twelve days before the Trump administration will decide whether or not to re-certify Iran's compliance with the Iran deal, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis told Congress it's in America's national security interest to keep the agreement, the ABC News reported.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Mattis replied in the affirmative to a question about whether it was in the US national security interest to stay in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- better known as the Iran deal -- an international agreement which restricts Iran's enrichment of uranium and its stockpiles.

"If we can confirm that Iran is living by the agreement, if we can determine that this is in our best interest, then clearly, we should stay with it," Mattis said. 

"I believe, at this point in time, absent indications to the contrary, it is something the president should consider staying with."

President Trump, who has repeatedly called the agreement one of the "worst deals" for the US, last re-certified Iran's compliance in July. The next deadline for certification is Oct. 15.

Source: MENA