Iran: European Countries Failed to Save 2015 Nuclear Accord

Iran on Monday slammed European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing Britain, France and Germany of failing to salvage the accord—from which U.S. President Donald Trump last year withdrew before re-imposing economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. “So far, we have not seen practical and tangible steps from the Europeans to guarantee Iran’s interests,” an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told state-run television. The assertion comes one month after Tehran gave the Europeans 60 days to come up with a viable solution, or else face the prospect of Iran itself nixing the atomic pact. In the interim, the Iranian regime has lifted caps on its production of enriched uranium (albeit to levels far below the 90 percent threshold required to produce nuclear arms), and has been accused of raising tensions in the Gulf by ordering its proxies to carry out attacks targeting Saudi oil and shipping assets. For their part, the Europeans have vowed to set up a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle to allow continued non-dollar trade with Iran, thereby circumventing US sanctions, although they have repeatedly delayed its implementation. This is possibly due fear that corporations on the continent could incur financial penalties, as called for by secondary US sanctions that preclude international companies from doing business with Tehran. France, in particular, has been vocal about curbing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its regional expansionism, two key elements that President Trump insists should be a part of any agreement with the mullahs. Meanwhile, Germany’s foreign minister arrived in Iran on Sunday, in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to preserve the pact and calm mounting tension between Washington and Tehran.