Yahoo Finance Iran nuclear deal ‘not dead’ despite US exit
European leaders have declared their determination to continue delivering the Iran nuclear deal despite Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US support.
All 28 EU member states, including the UK, issued a joint statement reiterating their commitment to the agreement which lifted economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on the country’s nuclear programme.
“As long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments…the EU will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal,” it said.
International inspectors have concluded that Iran is abiding by the terms of the deal which was 12 years in the making, the statement said.
It concluded: “The EU is determined to work with the international community to preserve it.”
The EU as a whole – as well as the United Kingdom, France and Germany – are among the seven signatories to the 2015 deal, which was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Mr Trump called it a “horrible one-sided deal“ as he ended weeks of speculation last night by announcing the US would withdraw and reimpose economic sanctions on Iran.
“It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” said the US President.
New US sanctions on Iran’s energy, manufacturing and financial sectors will make it more difficult for the country to sell its oil abroad or use the international banking system.
But France’s Foreign Minister insisted today that the deal is “not dead.”
“There’s an American withdrawal from the deal but the deal is still there,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told French radio.
“The region deserves better than further destabilisation provoked by American withdrawal. So we want to adhere to it and see to it that Iran does too, that Iran behaves with restraint.”
French President Emmanuel Macron will speak later with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, who has signalled his continued commitment to the deal.
“If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place,” the Iranian President said in a TV address.
China, who are one of the two other signatories along with Russia, has also said it wants to safeguard the deal.
A spokesman for its foreign ministry called on relevant actors to “assume a responsible attitude.”
