The EU Would Not Back US in Withdrawing From the Iran Nuclear Deal

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(Newswire.net— May 10, 2018) — Iran will not suffer consequences of Trump’s decision to back Israel and break the Nuclear Deal as European Union countries would not back the move and will continue without sanction.

Protecting the interest of its own companies that do business in Iran, the US’s strongest allies UK, France and Germany pledged to preserve the Nuclear Deal, the Telegraph reports.

After Israeli president, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Iran of breaking the deal, Donald Trump announced that the US is withdrawing from the landmark pact. The move unleashed a wave of criticism from the international community whose watching body closely monitors the Deal and reports that Iran strictly obeys what was agreed.

The Iran Nuclear Deal promises lifting sanctions and investments if Iran ditches all of their capacities for making nuclear weapons. Iran first opposed, stating that the country needs nuclear power strictly for energy and not for weapons manufacture, however the Deal was signed and thousands of ‘heavy water’ containers have been sealed with concrete. Thanks to investments, mainly from Russia and EU countries, the Republic of Iran regained stability and was able to stick to the Deal.

The existence of the Deal is crucial not only because Iranian economy grew stronger due to trading with the EU, but also because it is essential for preventing other Middle Eastern countries from developing nuclear arsenals of their own, which is of the greatest importance. For example, Saudi Arabia threatens to develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran exits the Deal and renews its nuclear program. Also, the unilateral withdrawal from the Deal clearly shows that the US can break any deal whenever it feels like, which sends a bad message to eventual denuclearization proposals on South Korea. However, thanks to the EU the Iran Nuclear Deal remains.

So, what now? Introducing economy sanctions against Iran which continues trading with other countries doesn’t make much sense, so the US started pressuring allies to stop trading with Iran. The US ambassador to Germany, a country which has developed strong trade agreements with Iran, said on Tuesday that Germany should immediately halt their operations following President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. However, Germany who already suffers the consequences of an economy embargo introduced to Russia has little space to maneuver. Instead, the country pledges to remain in the deal.

Other EU countries also refuse to align with the US in killing the Nuclear Deal, proposed by Obama’s administration in 2015. A representative for the French government Benjamin Griveaux said EU partners will protect their interests regardless the US’s move.

“The European Union is ready to challenge at the WTO any unilateral measure that would hurt the interests of European companies and respond in a proportionate manner, in accordance of course with the rules of that international organisation,” he said.

Griveaux’s comments were echoed by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire who said the US is playing the “economic policeman of the planet, and that is not acceptable.”

The UK, one of the biggest US allies, also said that killing the Iran Deal is against its interest. Since the Deal was signed, the trade between the EU and Iran has grown rapidly reaching $25 billion last year.