Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU piles last-minute pressure on US over Iran nuclear deal

  • US president Donald Trump has threatened to violate the terms of the Iran nuclear deal (Photo: kamshots)

The EU is demanding the nuclear deal with Iran remain intact and unchanged ahead of US plans to possibly scrap the pact.

A European Commission spokesperson on Monday (7 May) told reporters in Brussels that the European Union remains committed to the full implementation of the agreement.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"That is not changing," she said. She noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had also confirmed the full compliance of the deal some ten times.

The statements comes ahead of a possible decision by US president Donald Trump on Tuesday to withdraw from the deal, ahead of a 12 May deadline on whether to re-certify it.

Trump had promised to tear up the agreement, signed by the Obama administration in 2015, during his campaign bid to become US president with belligerent statements that appear to cater to his populist voter base.

Trump at the time had described it as "worst deal ever negotiated", taking issue with, among other things, the so-called sunset clause that allows Iran to resume part of its nuclear programme post-2025.

The pact was brokered by the P5+1 – the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the US, the UK, France, China, and Russia – plus Germany, with the European Union involved as well.

It meant easing economic sanctions on Iran. In exchange, Iran would scale down its nuclear programme.

Earlier this year in January Trump had waived sanctions on Iran but warned a new round could be imposed given Tehran's ballistic missile programme and claims it may still develop nuclear weapons.

Those sanctions target the Iranian central bank and penalise states that purchase Iranian oil exports.

Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas, on Monday, said the deal needed to remain in place.

"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," he said.

Oil-rich nations like Norway could see a temporary spike in prices for the commodity should the US reinstate full sanctions.

The EU may also remain part of the deal, regardless of US involvement, in a move that Tehran on Monday suggested could be possible.

A US withdrawal may also complicate Trump's efforts to scrap North Korea's nuclear programme.

EU circles the wagons around Iran deal

EU diplomacy chief Mogherini to fly to Washington next month, after ministers unite in support of Iran nuclear deal at Luxembourg meeting.

Interview

EU and US clash on Iran: an ex-spy's view

Halting the Iran deal could plunge its nuclear programme back underground, the CIA believes. It could also create a sanctions clash with EU states, a former US spy has warned.

Analysis

EU has no 'magic bullet' against US Iran sanctions

EU leaders in Sofia will discuss how they can protect the bloc's economic interests against US threats to sanction companies doing business in Iran. But their options are limited.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us