Let Trump replace Iran nuclear deal, says Johnson
● Days numbered for JCPOA after European allies say Tehran in breach
The international agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions appears to have collapsed after European allies formally declared Tehran in breach of the deal and Boris Johnson opened the door for Donald Trump to draw up a replacement.
In an interview, the Prime Minister suggested the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) could be “replaced” with a “Trump deal”, in a major concession to the US President.
Acknowledging that the deal was wrapped up in domestic American politics, Mr Johnson said one of the problems the US leader had was that it was negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
It came on the same day that the UK, France and Germany accused Tehran of “not meeting its commitments” and referred the matter to the agreement’s dispute resolution mechanism.
The US President pulled his country out of the deal and has consistently attacked it as a failure, calling on European allies to abandon it amid mounting tensions over the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Iran has also said it will no longer observe any restrictions on its uranium enrichment programme.
The UK, France and Germany had issued a joint statement defending the JCPOA, but in an interview with the BBC’S Breakfast programme, Mr Johnson opened the door to the deal being replaced.
“If we’re going to get rid of it, let’s replace it and let’s replace it with the Trump deal,” he said. “That would be a great way forward.”
He added: “The problem with the JCPOA as far as the Americans are concerned is that it was negotiated by President Obama... we need a Trump deal.”
The Prime Minister played down the prospect of new sanctions against Tehran following its admission that it accidentally shot down a passenger jet last week, saying he “did not envisage” any escalation in tensions.
Mr Johnson said he was “glad” Iran had acknowledged it made a “terrible mistake”, adding that the next step was to “repatriate in a dignified way” the bodies of those who were killed. The most important thing now is that tensions in the region calm down,” he said.
The Prime Minister defended his role in the Middle East crisis after facing criticism for not returning from his holiday immediately.
“I was not in this country but I worked very hard, as you can imagine, in making sure there was a European response,” he told the BBC.
Mr Johnson said Britain had played its”traditional role” in serving as the bridge between the “European powers and the United States”.
He said there was no need for Britain to have been informed before the attack: “This was not our operation.”