Germany, France, UK reiterate support for Iran nuclear deal

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Germany, France, and the United Kingdom on Monday said they would honor a nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers amid an ultimatum by the United States about a cancellation of the pact.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran, the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, and France in 2015.

Iran signed the deal promising to halt its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions.

US President Donald Trump has often criticized the 2015 deal and has threatened to scrap the current agreement unless new, more stringent restrictions were imposed on Iran by May 12.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the agreement made the world much safer and any alteration of the current deal would risk an escalation between Iran and the US.

“We don’t think there is any justifiable reason to pull out of this agreement and we continue to make the case for it to our American friends,” Maas said during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

“We are determined to save this deal because this accord safeguards against nuclear proliferation and is the right way to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon,” Le Drian stated.

Meanwhile, during a trip to Washington where he met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Trump not to walk away from the deal.

Although he acknowledged that the US President was “right to see the flaws in the deal,” Johnson noted that a “Plan B” is not “well developed at this stage.”

An enraged Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the US that it would “soon regret” any decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal.

Addressing a crowd during a rally in the northeastern city of Sabvezar, Rouhani said Tehran had prepared “plans to resist any decision by Trump on the nuclear accord.”

He added that Iran would “not negotiate with anyone about our weapons and defenses,” stating his country would “make and store as many weapons, facilities, and missiles” as needed.