Hans Blix, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, believes the international community will not go along with any new US sanctions against Iran.
"On the US side, they should realize that if they unilaterally decided to reintroduce sanctions, they might not be able to bring the others along. It will be messy. And in that situation the Americans may think twice," he was quoted as saying by the Guardian on Saturday.
He said there are indications that the European Union is set to stick to last year's nuclear deal with Iran, which placed constraints on Tehran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, despite US president-elect Donald Trump's opposition to the landmark accord.
"I think the signs from the EU are pretty categorical. It is an agreement reached multilaterally and they will stand by it. I don't think the Europeans would allow any American attempt to tear it apart," he said.
Disastrous Scenario
Blix also said it would be disastrous for the world if the US tore up the Iran nuclear agreement, but warned that Trump would be unlikely to heed advice from the British government on the benefits of the deal.
In the wake of Theresa May's insistence last week that the agreement "neutralizing" the risk of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons was vital, Blix said while "many Brits would like to think" they could sway Trump, he could not see "anyone who would be influential in talking to him."
Iran denies western allegations that it sought to develop nuclear weapons, stressing that its nuclear activities have always been for totally civilian applications.
"The special relationship, the old brotherhood? I don't know whether he would be open to such things," Blix told the Observer at the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe held in London.
Trump has threatened to scrap the nuclear deal, signed by six major powers including Britain.
During the US presidential campaign, Trump told supporters that his main foreign policy objective was to "dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran."
However, in a speech last week, the British prime minister underlined her belief in the importance of the 2015 agreement.
"We secured a deal that has neutralized the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons for more than a decade," she said.
Britain, along with France, Germany, Russia and China, has resumed trade relations with Iran since sanctions were lifted.
Blix said he believed that the solidarity of the EU signatories could be an important influence.
Vladimir Dvorkin, chairman of the organizing committee of the Luxembourg Forum, said, "We would hope that the new US administration would be able to reverse the negative trends and start discussions, including on nuclear security. In the last 10 years, the threat of nuclear catastrophe has not weakened.
"Work has been suspended on agreements. It is a shame to lose such agreements and we all hope dialogue will be resumed."
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