Britain, France and Germany on January 11 made a joint plea to US President Donald Trump to endorse a key nuclear deal with Iran as he mulls reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stressed the importance of preserving an agreement that is “making the world safer and… preventing a potential nuclear arms race in the region”.
“The deal is working, it is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear programme in check,” she said.
Mogherini’s comments followed a meeting between her British, French and German counterparts with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels on January 11.
As reported by FRANCE 24, this is in sharp contrast to Trump’s view that the 2015 pact was “the worst deal ever negotiated”.
The foreign ministers of the three countries and the EU’s top diplomat said there was no alternative to the accord and that sanctions should remain lifted.
Trump is expected to decide on January 12 whether or not to reimpose sanctions against Tehran that were suspended under the deal. In October, Trump refused to certify Iran was complying with the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Reporting from Brussels, FRANCE 24’s Meabh McMahon noted that Mogherini was doing “everything she can to try to preserve the deal” and the display of European unity was critical. “This is one of the main diplomatic success stories of the European Union in the last couple of years. It’s a chance for the EU to show how it can solve problems globally by using its soft power,” McMahon added.
In related news, Euronews quoted Britain’s foreign secretary Boris Johnson as saying that, alongside the pact, Tehran must be pressed on other issues.
“In parallel we should focus on what Iran can do to help resolve the appaling crisis in Yemen, to help push forward a peace in Syria and to help resolve other questions in the region,” said Johnson.
