May in last-ditch bid to save Iranian nuclear deal

Prime Minister calls US president to urge him not to abandon the treaty he claimed is ‘worst deal ever’

THERESA MAY has directly appealed to Donald Trump not to end the Iran nuclear deal, arguing it is “vitally important for regional security”.

The Prime Minister called the US president last night after it was announced he will deliver his decision on his “overall Iran strategy” later this week.

US officials have said Mr Trump is expected to “decertify” the deal, having described it as an “embarrassment” and “the worst deal ever negotiated”.

Britain and other European signatories to the 2015 deal, which ended sanctions on Tehran in return for Iran agreeing to give up its nuclear weapons programme, have launched urgent diplomatic efforts to save it. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, called Rex Tillerson, his US counterpart, yesterday to argue the deal was “making the world a safer place”.

A Downing Street spokesman said that Mrs May had “reaffirmed the UK’S strong commitment to the deal alongside our European partners, saying it was vitally important for regional security”. “The PM stressed that it was important that the deal was carefully monitored and properly enforced,” the spokesman said.

Mr Trump also faces growing unease within his own administration about his plans.

Failure to certify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would trigger a 60-day period during which the US Congress would have to decide whether to re-impose sanctions, at which point the deal would collapse.

For all his bluster, Mr Trump has so far not asked Congress to push ahead with fresh sanctions. At the same time Mr Tillerson is exploring other ways of putting pressure on Iran to halt what international opponents decry as destabilising efforts in the Middle East, such as supporting armed groups across the region and developing new missile technology.

Mr Johnson was due to meet Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, in London today to press for Iran’s continued compliance with the agreement. Following his call with Mr Tillerson, he said: “The UK supports the deal and stresses the importance of all parties continuing to uphold their commitments.

“We have made no bones about our deep concern at Iran’s destabilising regional activity, including its ballistic missile programme, but I remain steadfast in my view that the nuclear deal was a historic achievement that has undoubtedly made the world a safer place. It was the culmination of 13 years of painstaking diplomacy and has increased security, both in the region and in the UK. It is these security implications that we continue to encourage the US to consider.”