Tabnak – Persistent attempts made by the US administration to once again increase pressure on Iran is apparently paying off, as it’s reported that the major European powers are devising a new set of sanctions against the Islamic Republic. However, Iran has warned that such a move could spark serious implications.
Reuters quotes Iran’s deputy foreign minister as saying that any new European sanctions against Iran will have a direct effect on the nuclear deal struck between world powers and Tehran.
“In case some European countries are following steps to put non-nuclear sanctions against Iran in order to please the American president, they will be making a big mistake and they will see the direct result of that on the nuclear deal,” Abbas Araqchi said.
“It’s better that European countries continue their current action to persuade America to keep its promises in the nuclear deal and for that country to effectively execute the deal in all its parts with good will and in a productive atmosphere.”
Araqchi’s comments were in reaction to a previous Reuters report that Britain, France and Germany have proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles and its role in Syria to try to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
The proposal is allegedly part of an EU strategy to appease US President Donald Trump and preserve the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Trump has repeatedly described the JCPOA, which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign, and threatened to tear it up.
He delivered a 120-day ultimatum to America's European allies on January 12 that they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal" or he would refuse to extend US sanctions relief on Iran and would pull out of the deal.
The US under Trump has been seeking a revision of the deal and making modifications to it, such as the inclusion of Iran’s missile program in the agreement.
The document said London, Paris and Berlin were engaged in "intensive talks" with the Trump administration to "achieve a clear and lasting reaffirmation of US support for the agreement beyond May 12."
Diplomats said the European powers and the United States held several rounds of talks this week on the issue. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday warned the United States against the "painful mistake" of pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.
