EU steps up pressure on Iran
Johnson suggests Trump could come up with an alternative to the nuclear accord
Britain, France and Germany have ratcheted up pressure on Iran to stop violating its landmark nuclear deal in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences through talks while also starting a process that could bring back punishing UN sanctions on Tehran.
The three European Union countries are being pressed on one side by US President Donald Trump to abandon the agreement like he did unilaterally in 2018, and on the other side from Iran to provide enough economic incentives for them to roll back their violations.
Now, the Europeans have reluctantly triggered the accord’s dispute mechanism to force Iran into discussions, starting the clock on a process that could result in the “snapback” of UN and EU sanctions on Iran.
But dramatically, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that Trump could come up with an alternative to the Iran nuclear accord.
“The problem with the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] is that from the American perspective, it’s a flawed agreement, plus it was negotiated by President Obama,” he told the BBC. He added that a replacement “Trump deal” would be a way out of the crisis.
Iran has previously ruled out renegotiating the deal and is unclear whether it would entertain talks on a fresh agreement with Trump, who may not be in office after November’s presidential elections.
Britain, France and Germany specifically avoided threatening the sanctions this week while emphasising hopes for a negotiated resolution. They held off their announcement until tensions between the US and Iran had calmed down after the January 3 killing of an Iranian general in an American drone strike so their intent would not be misinterpreted.
“Our goal is clear: We want to preserve the accord and come to a diplomatic solution within the agreement,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement. “We call on Iran to participate constructively in the negotiation process that is now beginning.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned of a “serious and strong response” to the European move. But at the same time, ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi held out an olive branch, saying his country was “fully ready to answer any good will and constructive effort” that preserves the nuclear deal, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
The accord, which Iran signed with the US, Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia in 2015, has been unravelling since Trump pulled Washington out in 2018 and reinstated sanctions designed to cripple the Islamic Republic under what the US called a “maximum pressure” campaign. The Europeans felt compelled to act, despite objections from Russia and China, because every violation of the deal reduces the so-called “breakout time”
Iran needs to produce a nuclear bomb, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Parliament.
Meanwhile Iran has declared the British ambassador to Tehran “persona non grata”, calling for him to be expelled for his alleged role in recent anti-government protests.
Iran’s judiciary spokesman said Robert Macaire had played a “provocative role” when he attended a vigil for passengers killed in the Ukrainian jet crash last week.
Iran also arrested the person who filmed the footage showing the plane being shot down by a missile. It is believed the person will face charges related to national security. Flight PS752 was brought down after it took off from Tehran last week, killing 176 people. Iran has said it was shot down by accident and announced the arrest of several people.
— AP, Telegraph Group