EU vows to save Iran deal, fears for N Korea mediation

epa06228555 The German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, during his laudation to Queen Silvia of Sweden (unseen), during the ceremony of the Theodor-Wanner Award 2017, in Berlin, Germany, 26 September 2017. The prize is awarded since 2009 to those who significantly contributed with their scientific, social, socio-political, artistic, entrepreneurial or financial expertise to foster dialogue among cultures.  EPA-EFE/FELIPE TRUEBA

LUXEMBOURG / Reuters

The European Union vowed on Monday to defend a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and urged US lawmakers not to reimpose sanctions after President
Donald Trump chose not to certify Tehran’s compliance with the accord.
Germany and France led a chorus of warnings to the United States, normally the EU’s closest foreign policy ally, that any weakening of the agreement to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons could have serious consequences for peace.
“As Europeans together, we are very worried that the decision of the US president could lead us back into military confrontation with Iran,” German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters at a meeting with his EU counterparts.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired the final phase of the 2015 negotiations, held closed-door talks on how the 28-nation bloc should proceed and ministers were also set to discuss how to tackle Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Mogherini has insisted the nuclear deal is working, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is complying. Trump has dubbed it “the worst deal ever negotiated”. “Non-proliferation is a major element of world security and rupturing that would be extremely damaging,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters. “We hope that Congress does not put this accord in jeopardy.”
The European Union already has members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under sanctions, which Trump on Friday singled out as he detailed a more aggressive approach to Tehran.

NORTH KOREA SPILLOVER
Many worry that the EU’s reputation as an honest broker in a host of future conflicts may not recover if the US Congress reimposes sanctions on Iran and causes the deal to collapse. Most UN and Western sanctions were lifted more than 18 months ago under the deal. Tehran is still subject to a U.N. arms embargo, which is not part of the deal. At their meeting in Luxembourg, the EU’s foreign ministers are also due to approve a new round of economic sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang’s nuclear test last month. Many governments still hold out hope of repeating the Iran deal with North Korea.

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend