British Premier: Need to Stand Firm in Support of JCPOA

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday reiterated Britain's support for the nuclear deal concluded with Iran, which came into force in January 2016.

"We must stand firm in our support for the ... deal," she told reporters in Jordan at the end of a brief visit to the Middle East, Reuters reported.

"This deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and a major step toward ensuring that Iran's nuclear program is not diverted for military purposes."

Tehran's nuclear program is totally peaceful and has been verified by the UN nuclear watchdog. Eight reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency have so far confirmed Iran's full commitment to its side of the bargain.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, namely the US, France, Britain, Russia and China, plus Germany signed the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in July 2015.

Under the deal, Iran undertook to apply certain limits to its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of all nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.

In October, however, US President Donald Trump refused to formally certify that Iran was complying with JCPOA, warning that he might ultimately "terminate" it.

Since the US president received the deal on a platter and didn't break a sweat over it, he does not appreciate the achievement. In fact, he is bending over backwards to pressure Iran in order to please his regional allies who oil the wheels of the American arms industry.

Trump has directed his administration to work closely with the US Congress and Washington's allies to address his trumpeted "serious flaws".

The congress has until mid-December to decide whether to reimpose the economic sanctions on Tehran, which were lifted under JCPOA.

Separately on Thursday, Russia' envoy to the European Union stressed that Brussels, like Moscow, is concerned about the future of the historic accord, citing Washington's bellicose stance on Iran, Press TV reported.

"There are international issues on which our [Russia-EU] cooperation cannot be halted," Vladimir Chizhov added.

"For example, the Iranian nuclear deal. The EU, like Russia, is alarmed by Washington's attempts to ditch it and voices concerns over the fate of this deal."