Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

The United States will continue to adhere to the Iran nuclear deal, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

Trump was highly critical of the Iran nuclear deal during the election campaign, saying it was “disastrous” and pledging to annul it.

After he was sworn in as president, Trump described the nuclear deal as “the worst deal I’ve ever seen negotiated” and accused the Islamic Republic of “disrespecting” the United States because of the deal.

However, National Security Council Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Counter-Proliferation Chris Ford said on Tuesday that for the time being the United States would stick to the deal.

"Until such time as we have guidance from above to do something differently, our marching orders are very clear…we will ensure that the United States adheres strictly to its limits under the JCPOA, and we will also work very hard to make sure that Iran does," Ford said during a speech at the 2016 Nuclear Policy Conference, according to the Sputnik news agency.

He added that the Iran nuclear deal is being looked at as part of an "across the board" review of U.S. international agreements and obligations.

However, in the absence of any formal announcement of a change in policy by Trump, Washington will continue to honor its agreements, he stressed.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said recently he was confident of "very good cooperation" with the United States on Iran's nuclear deal, despite Trump's comments against it.

Iranian officials have downplayed Trump’s threats to annul the nuclear deal, insisting he cannot do so even if he wishes.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that Trump would be “surprised” by his country if he annuls the deal, though he did not explain what he meant by that.