Iraq expresses regret about end to 'historical' Iran nuclear deal

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi President Fuad Masum on Wednesday expressed his regret at the United States President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a nuclear deal signed with Iran and world powers.

“I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,” Trump stated at the White House on Tuesday.

“It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” Trump continued. “The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen.”

In a presidential statement, Masum said the US should reconsider its decision.

Masum described the nuclear deal as “a great achievement in enhancing the chances of establishing peace and progress for all the countries of the region and the international community.”

“The deal stimulates good diplomacy to end serious tensions and can be the basis to build on the principles of the United Nations,” he added.

Masum stressed Iraq’s opposition to all weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons.

He also voiced his concern that Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal would not serve to improve the security and stability in the middle-east.

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.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany