BICOM

The other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal responded with concern after US President Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing the US from the agreement.

In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May said: “It is with regret and concern that we take note of President Trump’s decision to withdraw. Together, we emphasise our continuing commitment to the [deal]. This agreement remains important for our shared security.”

The leaders called on Washington to “ensure that the structures of the [agreement] can remain intact, and to avoid taking action which obstructs its full implementation by all other parties to the deal”.

Macron said Trump’s announcement meant “the nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake”.  “We [fellow European countries] will work collectively on a broader framework, covering nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle-East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq,” he added.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that the EU was “determined to preserve” the deal, adding that Brussels expects “the rest of the international community to do its part to guarantee that it is fully implemented for the sake of our own collective security”.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will remain in the nuclear deal despite US President Trump’s decision and that Tehran is ready to resume its nuclear work after holding talks with EU members of the deal. He said: “I have ordered the foreign ministry to negotiate with the European countries, China and Russia in the coming weeks. If we achieve the deal’s goals in co-operation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place.”

The Iranian President also announced that when it is needed, he has ordered Iran’s atomic agency to start enriching uranium at higher rates than before  and that this process would start “in the next weeks”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “There are no – and can be no – grounds for breaking the joint comprehensive action plan (JCPOA). The plan showed its full efficiency. The US is undermining international trust in the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Trump’s new National Security Advisor John Bolton will discuss possible next steps on Iran with his British, French and German counterparts today.

Bolton is reported as saying that European companies doing business with Iran will have to finish within six months or face US sanctions.