The president of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, in a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the lifting of sanctions against Iran. Zeman, heading a delegation to Germany, on Friday attended a meeting with Merkel where he stressed his country's interest in expanding trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA reported citing the Novinki Czech News Agency. Pointing to the US sanctions against Iran, he said, “As you know, the US has decided to boycott European companies that trade with Iran, which includes Czech companies.” “The Czech Republic and Czech companies are very interested in interacting with Iran, and I am defending the interest of the people of my country,” Zeman said. US president Donald Trump tore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May and re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted within the framework of the nuclear deal. His move attracted widespread opposition from the international community. Europe has announced that it will protect its companies against the US restrictions by updating the a so-called “blockade statute” that protects firms against US secondary sanctions.
