Global powers commit to Iranian N-deal
Britain, France and Germany say they remain committed to Iran deal in the face of Trump’s move to decertify it
Washington, Oct. 14: Global powers, including key US allies, have said they will stand by the Iran nuclear deal which US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear apart.
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Saturday said they remain committed to the international nuclear deal with Iran after Mr Trump refused to certify the agreement.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they “stand committed to its full implementation by all sides,” according to a joint statement released by May’s Downing Street office.
The leaders said they “take note of President Mr Trump’s decision” not to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) to the US Congress and were “concerned by the possible implications.”
“The nuclear deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and was a major step towards ensuring that Iran’s nuclear programme is not diverted for military purposes,” they added.
“We encourage the US Administration and Congress to consider the implications to the security of the US and its allies before taking any steps that might undermine the JCPoA, such as re-imposing sanctions on Iran lifted under the agreement.”
“Our governments are committed to ensuring the JCPoA is maintained,” they stressed. The three leaders said they were concerned about Iran’s ballistic missile programme and that they “stand ready to take further appropriate measures to address these issues.”
Mr Trump launched a tougher strategy to check Iran’s “fanatical regime” and warned that the nuclear deal could be terminated at any time.
In a much-anticipated White House speech, Mr Trump stopped short of withdrawing from the 2015 accord, but “decertified” his support for the agreement and left its fate in the hands of Congress.
The US also slapped sanctions on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for its alleged support to various terrorist organisations. The new designation freezes the IRGC out of the US financial system.
US also announced new sanctions against three Iranian companies and a Chinese company for supporting the Iranian military or the IRGC. Mr Trump’s targeting of the IRGC under the Bush-era order, known as Executive Order 13224, fell short of a more severe kind of designation.