Monetary compensation becomes key sticking point in Iran deal as Trump bristles at comparison to Obama agreement | CNN Politics

One of the key sticking points remaining in negotiations between the US and Iran centers on monetary compensation, as President Donald Trump is eager to strike a deal that will be viewed as superior to a prior agreement inked during the Obama administration, a US official familiar with the talks told CNN. Iran has communicated to mediators that they want some form of financial compensation to be released as soon as the two sides agree on an initial memorandum of understanding, the official said, and not withheld for a future date. But Trump administration officials are concerned that any unfreezing of funds at such an early stage could lessen the economic pain the US has inflicted on Iran throughout the course of the war — potentially eliminating, or at least weakening, a key leverage point Washington holds over Tehran. That leverage will be fundamental to the US entering the second phase of negotiations — or “highly technical talks,” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to them — on the specifics of Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has made clear to his team that he wants any agreement to appear far stronger than the deal struck in 2015, and to avoid anything that c