United States President Donald Trump on Friday waived a number of sanctions against Iran as required under a nuclear agreement signed with Tehran in 2015, but said that it would be the last such waiver if the terms of the deal are not changed, The Guardian reported.
Trump wants the European nations that are signatories to the deal to impose permanent restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, those restrictions will expire in 2025.
Iran described the White House’s announcement as a desperate attempt to “undermine a solid multilateral agreement”.
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not renegotiable. Instead of repeating tired rhetoric, the US must bring itself into full compliance – just like Iran,” Tehran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said.
The European Union, however, said that it is committed to the “continued full and effective implementation” of the agreement.
“The deal is working. It is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear programme in check and under close surveillance,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said. The unity of the international community is essential to preserve the deal, which is preventing a potential nuclear arms race in West Asia, Mogherini added.
In October 2017, Trump had refused to certify that Tehran was complying with the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, and called the government of the West Asian country a “fanatical regime”. The US ” US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, too had urged the world body to confront Iran about alleged violations of the pact.
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