A top Republican senator has said he believes President Donald Trump is likely to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal in May, a step that would undo one of the major foreign policy achievements claimed by former President Barack Obama.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker told CBS-TV news programme “Face the Nation”, that such a move by Trump could be avoided if the president’s concerns, which deal largely with Iran’s actions outside the specifics of the nuclear deal, are addressed as part of a multilateral framework. Such an agreement seems unlikely, Corker said.

“The Iran deal will be another issue that’s coming-up in May, and right now it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be extended. I think the president likely will move away from it, unless my “our European counterparts really come together on a framework. And it doesn’t feel to me that they are,” Corker said, cautioning that circumstances could change as the May 12 deadline for a decision on the Iran deal approaches.

“You think the president’s going to pull out of that Iran deal on May 12th, he was asked, to which Corker replied,”I do. I do.”

Trump” who last week fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his top diplomat” has long railed against the Iran nuclear deal, dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign, when he made pledges to withdraw the U.S. from it a major part of his foreign policy platform. The president has remained publicly skeptical of the deal since taking office but thus far stopped short of making good on his promise to remove pull out of it.

Iran has warned Washington of making the “painful mistake,” while the Islamic Republic remains prepared for various scenarios in case the deal is violated.