Europe Lodges Protest Against Iranian Nuclear Steps 

France, Britain and Germany promised on Tuesday to file and vote on an official complaint in the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting this week, protesting Iran’s latest steps violating its international nuclear commitments. The Europeans’ decision, backed by Washington, prompted Tehran to threaten to scrap the temporary deal it reached with the nuclear watchdog last week, which was intended to offer a limited window for a diplomatic resolution. That three-month deal was signed after Iran halted all snap inspections by the IAEA at undeclared nuclear sites, a central part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached by Tehran and the world powers. Last week, Iran also snubbed the European Union’s invitation to hold informal talks with American representatives, while insisting on a full return to the 2015 pact by the United States first. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reimposing harsh sanctions on Iran, which in return began gradually breaching parts of the deal itself. Both sides now demand the other be the first to return to full compliance.