Iran’s nukesEuropean Unity on Iran Nuclear Deal May Be Cracking
There are signs that cracks are beginning to appear in European unity over its backing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, or JCPOA, as allies come under growing pressure from the United States to abandon the agreement in the wake of Tehran’s downing of a passenger jet January 8. Iran announced this month it would ignore all restrictions on its nuclear enrichment activities, but insisted it was permitted to do so under the 2015 deal, because the U.S. was the first signatory to break the agreement.
There are signs that cracks are beginning to appear in European unity over its backing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, or JCPOA, as allies come under growing pressure from the United States to abandon the agreement in the wake of Tehran’s downing of a passenger jet January 8.
The 2015 deal, signed by Iran, the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, lifted most sanctions on Iran in return for strict limits on nuclear fuel enrichment. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions in 2018, citing concerns about Iran’s missile program.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday that the nuclear agreement could be replaced with what he called “the Trump deal.”
“My point to our American friends is, look, somehow or other, we’ve got to stop the Iranians acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Johnson said in a BBC interview. “I think that’s what the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement does, the JCPOA. But if we’re going to get rid of it, then we need a replacement. Let’s replace it with the Trump deal.”
Trump has said he wants a deal that curbs Iran’s missile program as well as its nuclear activities. However, Tehran has flatly rejected entering such negotiations.
Speaking in Parliament, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said a “broader deal” would tackle issues besides Iran’s nuclear program.
“First of all, it is Iran that is threatening the JCPOA with its systematic noncompliance. The prime minister fully supports the JCPOA and bringing Iran back into full compliance,” Raab told lawmakers Tuesday.
“In fact, it’s not just President Trump but also [French] President Emmanuel Macron who have argued for a broader deal with Iran, which first of all, addresses some of the defects in the JCPOA, which is not a perfect deal, but is, in our view, the best deal we’ve got on the table as of now. And secondly, would address the wider concerns that the U.S. and many other states, including the United Kingdom, have about Iran’s broader destabilizing activities in the region,” Raab added.
This week, Richard Goldberg, a former Trump security adviser who ended his role earlier this month, said Washington could make a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain conditional on support for the United States’ stance on Iran.
Britain will face difficult decisions after it leaves the EU, said Erica Moret, chair of the Geneva International Sanctions Network.
