EU Pleaded Iran not to Withdraw from Nuclear Deal

Brussels is ready to support a nuclear agreement with Iran if Tehran fulfills its obligations, the head of European diplomacy said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. EU foreign ministers pleaded Iran not to refuse to comply with its obligations in the nuclear deal. Such a move would be the “worst solution,” said Luxembourg Assistant Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, Friday, January 10, during an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. The EU wants the “agreement to have a future,” added German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius admits that the deal cannot be kept in force. “De jure, it still exists, de facto I doubt it,” Linkevičius said in Brussels. However, his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajčák is more optimistic. “The game is not over yet,” Lajčák emphasized. At its turn, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, highlighted the willingness of the European Union to support the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). However, for this, Iran should fulfill its obligations, Borrell noted. Washington reminds Tehran of diplomacy The United States is ready to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, confirmed Washington’s  Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook. According to him, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, reopened the door for diplomacy. "We invite Iran not to respond to our diplomacy with military violence," Hook said. Iran announced withdrawal from JCPOA after the assassination of General Soleimani On January 5, official Tehran announced its intention to finally abandon restrictions on the nuclear deal regarding the number of centrifuges, as well as the level of enrichment and storage volumes of uranium. Iran made such a decision after the United States assassinated in Baghdad Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and after the US president statement about his readiness to strike at 52 targets in Iran. However, the Islamic Republic intends to continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran also stressed out that it was ready to return to fulfilling its obligations under the JCPOA if sanctions were lifted from the country and its interests were taken into account. Iran began phasing out its compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal after Washington unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and began to tighten its sanctions on Tehran. Other parties to the agreement, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, advocated for its preservation.