Europe rejects Iran 'ultimatums' on nuclear deal | News | DW | 09.05.2019

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Europe rejects Iran 'ultimatums' on nuclear deal

The EU said it still backs the nuclear deal with Iran, but would not be held to ransom to keep it alive. Iran said it hopes to bring the deal "back on track" after saying it will stop some curbs on its nuclear program.

EU and Iran flags

The European Union on Thursday reiterated its commitment to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal but insisted it would not accept any ultimatums. 

Iran had announced a partial withdrawal from some "voluntary" aspects of the pact, saying that the country would no longer adhere to some of the limits on its nuclear activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday the Trump administration has bullied Europe and the rest of the world with its Iran policy.

"Instead of demanding that Iran unilaterally abide by a multilateral accord, the EU should uphold obligations — including normalization of economic ties," he wrote on Twitter.

The statement in brief

In a joint statement, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said: 

  • We remain fully committed to the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
  • We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran's compliance on the basis of Iran's performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments.
  • We also look to Iran to continue to adhere to established JCPoA formats and mechanisms.
  • We regret the sanctions imposed by the United States and are committed to lifting sanctions in Iran.

Salvaging the deal

Shortly after the EU released its statement, the spokesman for the Atomic Engergy Organization of Iran said the country is hoping to fix the deal with world powers.

"Our goal is to strengthen the JCPOA and bring it back on track," spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by IRNA.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel underlined the need for diplomacy after an EU meeting on Thursday in Romania. "Our hand remains outstretched at this point; we want to continue to push for a diplomatic solution," said Merkel, adding that Iran should "consider what it will do in the future."

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Iran to not leave the 2015 nuclear deal. "Iran must remain in this agreement and we must do everything we can to ensure that it stays in," he told reporters in Romania, where EU leaders discussed the standoff.

  • US President Donald Trump gestures at a podium

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    The deal breaker

    President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2018 that he was pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the international accord was not in America's "national interest." The decision threw a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear accord and raised tensions with US allies in Europe.

  • USA PK US-Präsident Trump und französicher Präsident Macron in Washington (Reuters/K. Lamarque)

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Slap in the face

    Britain, France and Germany lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to remain in the nuclear accord, arguing that the deal was working and a US violation without a follow up plan would be destabilizing. In European capitals, the Trump administration's withdrawal was viewed as a slap in the face of allies.

  • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Bushehr nuclear power plant (picture-alliance/AP Photo/Iranian Presidency Office/M. Berno)

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Iran scrap 'voluntary commitments'

    A year to the day after Trump's announcement, Iran informed the other signatories of the accord that they would no longer adhere to certain "voluntary commitments." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the signatory nations had 60 days to implement promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors or Iran would resume the enrichment of uranium.

  • USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (AP)

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Response to US pressure

    The decision came after the United States deployed an aircraft, the USS Lincoln, along with a bomber task force to the Middle East. Washington said the deployment was intended as a "clear unmistakable message." Iran said it took action because the European Union and others "did not have the power to resist US pressure."

  • The nuclear deal is reached in Vienna

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    A triumph of diplomacy

    The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain (P5+1) and Iran following years of negotiations. Under the international agreement, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and be subject to monitoring in exchange for the lifting of international nuclear related sanctions.

  • Logo International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA (picture-alliance/dpa/R. Schlager)

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Compliance and verification

    The JCPOA includes a robust monitoring, verification and inspection regime carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UN watch dog has verified Iran's compliance with the deal in 12 quarterly reports. The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation standards.

  • USA Barack Obama PK Iran Nuklear Deal (Reuters/Y. Gripas)

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Obama's achievement

    The Iran nuclear deal was President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement. Seeking to undo nearly every Obama administration legacy, Trump came into office calling it the "worst deal ever." The Trump administration argues the nuclear deal doesn't address other unrelated issues such as Iran's ballistic missiles, regional influence, support for "terrorist" groups and human rights.

  • Iranians celebrate the deal

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Iranians approved

    The nuclear deal and lifting of punishing nuclear related international sanctions created optimism in Iran after years of economic isolation. However, even before Trump pulled the US out of the deal, Tehran blamed the US for holding back international investment and not fulfilling its end of the bargain due to the uncertainty created by Trump's threats.

  • US-Israel: Trump and Netanyahu

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    The opponents

    After eight years with Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found the US president he wanted in Donald Trump. The Israeli leader repeatedly slammed the deal despite his own military and intelligence chiefs' assessment the that JCPOA, while not perfect, was working and should be maintained. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other main opponents of the nuclear deal.

  • Various EU foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart meet in Belgium

    Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat

    Who's left?

    The EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) have scrambled to ensure that Iran receives the economic benefits it was promised in order to avoid Tehran pulling out of the deal. As EU businesses face retaliation from the US for doing business with Iran, many are opting to avoid Iran. This would likely be a present to Chinese and Russian businesses.


Tensions between US and Iran 

On Wednesday, Iran said it would start resuming high level uranium enrichment after 60 days if the countries that signed onto the nuclear deal failed to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors from sanctions. The government also said it would stop curbing its stocks of enriched uranium and "heavy water" that are used by some reactors for nuclear fission.

The United States accused Tehran of resorting to "blackmail." Russia said that Iran was provoked, especially over the US re-implementing sanctions. The US also announced this week that it dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to send a "clear and unmistakable" message to Iran.

Read more: Iran nuclear-deal crisis — Is war with the US ahead?

What are Iran's commitments under the deal? The restrictions in place under the nuclear deal are aimed at curbing Iran's capacity to make a nuclear bomb. These include: capping the stock and levels of purity to which Iran can enrich uranium; implementing constraints at two enrichments centers; restricting the use of centrifuges and reducing the ability to produce plutonium.

What's happened since the US left the deal? One year ago, US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which saw sanctions lifted in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear operations. In recent months, Washington has ramped up sanctions against the country, which have hit the Iranian economy hard. The US also designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.

shs,rs/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters)

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