US urges UK to drop support for nuke deal

LONDON: The US urged Britain yesterday to ditch its support for a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and instead join forces with Washington to counter the global threat it says Tehran poses.

Despite opposition from European allies, US President Donald Trump in May pulled the US out of a deal between world powers and Tehran under which international sanctions were lifted in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Since then, Britain, France and Germany have sought to keep the deal alive, while Trump has prepared new sanctions, saying a broader and more balanced deal is needed. Iran has denounced the sanctions as “US unilateralism”.

US Ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson criticised Tehran for funding “proxy wars and malign activities” instead of investing in its economy. He said Iran needed to make tangible and sustained changes.