EU nations united on Iran deal

EU nations closed ranks in support of the Iran nuclear deal yesterday, warning that US President Donald Trump’s threats to tear it up jeopardised efforts to find a peaceful solution to the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg joined a chorus of international support for the landmark 2015 accord that saw Tehran abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for the lifting of punishing sanctions.

Trump alarmed allies across the Atlantic with a belligerent speech on Friday in which he stopped short of pulling out of the agreement but warned he could do so at any time, restating his belief the deal was letting Iran off the hook.

Ditching the deal when Iran has repeatedly been certified as keeping its end of the bargain would send a signal to North Korea that negotiating with the international community was a waste of time, EU ministers warned.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Trump’s hardline stance risked dragging the world back to a military confrontation with Iran.

“The threatened termination of the deal with Iran undermines the credibility of such international treaties,” he said.

The Luxembourg meeting will sign off on a new package of EU sanctions aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The EU hopes economic pressure will help bring the North to the bargaining table, but the bloc’s chief diplomat Federica Mogherini said that weakening the Iran deal would make it harder to persuade the North to talk. – AFP