Trump to target Iran nuclear deal, Revolutionary Guard in speech

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will outline a tougher US strategy for countering Iran on Friday that will seek to strengthen the enforcement of what he considers a flawed nuclear deal and deny funding for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction," Trump said in a White House statement that laid out key elements of the strategy.

Trump is to deliver a speech at 12:45 pm EDT (1645 GMT) to announce a confrontational new approach to US policy toward Iran. In a big shift, he is expected to say he will not certify Iran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear accord negotiated by world powers including Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

The new strategy will include three key goals: Fixing the nuclear deal to make it harder for Iran to develop a weapon, addressing its ballistic missile program and countering Iranian activities that Washington says contribute to instability in the Middle East.