Western allies stepped up pressure on US President Donald Trump to keep alive an international nuclear deal with Iran, with French President Emmanuel Macron due to urge him in person not to tear up the 2015 agreement.
Trump has said that unless European allies fix what he has called its “terrible flaws” by May 12, he will restore US economic sanctions on Iran, which would be a severe blow to the pact, Reuters reported.
Macron, who arrived in Washington on Monday for a state visit, said on Sunday there was no “Plan B” for keeping a lid on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Minutes after Macron’s plane touched down, the White House said it had no announcement on the Iran deal. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders added, “The president has been extremely clear that he thinks it’s a bad deal. That certainly has not changed.”
President Hassan Rouhani warned Trump on Tuesday to stay in the nuclear or face “severe consequences”.
“I am telling those in the White House that if they do not live up to their commitments, the Iranian government will firmly react,” Rouhani said.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said both Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Friday, would urge the US president to stay in the deal, which is formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We believe it is extremely important to uphold this agreement. Were it to fail or the US to drop out, we would not have anything comparable to it and we fear that the situation would significantly deteriorate with everything that goes with it,” Maas told reporters.
He was speaking at a meeting in Toronto of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.
Britain’s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, echoed this, telling reporters in Toronto, “There is a strong view around the (G7) table that we need to make the case for the JCPOA.”
“We accept that Iranian behavior has been disruptive in the region, we accept the president (Trump) has some valid points that need to be addressed, but we believe they are capable of being addressed (inside the deal),” Johnson said.
***Iran to Complain US Exit
Iran will consider formally complaining to a body that oversees the implementation of its nuclear deal with world powers in the event of the United States' anticipated withdrawal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday.
Filing a complaint with the Joint Commission is one of the "possible" measures that Tehran will consider if Washington walks away from the 2015 agreement, he told reporters in New York in reference to a committee set up by the parties to the accord to handle any complaints of breaches, IRNA reported.
Tehran has complained to the commission and the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, 11 times about perceived violations over the past two years, he said.
"This time, the difference is that Article 36 will be formally cited, which is a response to a clear and serious violation of the JCPOA," Zarif said, "We have to be prepared. This can be one of our possible options."
Under Article 36, if a party believes that another signatory is not meeting its commitments, it can refer the issue to the Joint Commission.
If the complaining state is not satisfied with how the commission addresses its concerns, it can then take its grievance to the United Nations Security Council.
Asked about efforts by the European signatories to persuade Trump to stick with the deal, Zarif said Iran also needs to be convinced that staying in the accord would serve its interests.
"The Europeans should be aware that it is important to keep Iran in the JCPOA. It is Iran that has properly fulfilled all its obligations under the JCPOA, and they have to make the Americans honor their commitments."
For the agreement to continue to exist, Washington should not only stay in it but also should carry out its obligations "seriously" and "in good faith", Zarif added.
