European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal have written to key US officials, urging them to respect Europe’s commitment to the deal. They stressed that EU firms active in Iran should be spared from sanctions.
Image: Imago/Ralph Peters
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In a letter to the US officials, ministers from Britain, France and Germany specified key areas they wanted to be exempted from possible secondary sanctions that might be imposed on firms that deal with Iran.
Details of the June 4 letter, also signed by EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, were revealed on Wednesday.
In the letter, sent to both US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, foreign and finance ministers from Germany, France and Britain singled out key sectors for exemptions.
The European ministers appealed to the US not to undertake any action that would harm its allies.
Included were automotive, banking, civil aviation, energy, healthcare, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.
The signatories said any withdrawal of Iran from the nuclear agreement "would further unsettle a region where additional conflicts would be disastrous."
The other signatories, China and Russia, are also committed to staying in the deal, but many businesses are already beginning to wind down Iran operations.
The move comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tours Europe to persuade European signatories to follow Washington's lead in abandoning the deal.
On the French stop of his tour of Europe, Netanyahu said he had not urged French President Emmanuel Macron to withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, alluding to the secondary sanctions. "I didn't ask France to withdraw from the JCPOA because I think it is basically going to be dissolved by the weight of economic forces," Netanyahu told a joint news conference with Macron.
The US withdrew from the landmark accord last month and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.
The aim of the deal had been to prevent Iran from making its own nuclear bomb while giving it the capacity for a civil nuclear program.
Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
A year after Donald Trump pulled the US from the international nuclear accord with Iran, the Middle East nation announced it would no longer adhere to some "voluntary commitments" in the accord.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/D. Calma
The deal breaker
President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2018 that he was pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the international accord was not in America's "national interest." The decision threw a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear accord and raised tensions with US allies in Europe.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
Slap in the face
Britain, France and Germany lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to remain in the nuclear accord, arguing that the deal was working and a US violation without a follow up plan would be destabilizing. In European capitals, the Trump administration's withdrawal was viewed as a slap in the face of allies.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
Iran scrap 'voluntary commitments'
A year to the day after Trump's announcement, Iran informed the other signatories of the accord that they would no longer adhere to certain "voluntary commitments." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the signatory nations had 60 days to implement promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors or Iran would resume the enrichment of uranium.
The decision came after the United States deployed an aircraft, the USS Lincoln, along with a bomber task force to the Middle East. Washington said the deployment was intended as a "clear unmistakable message." Iran said it took action because the European Union and others "did not have the power to resist US pressure."
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A triumph of diplomacy
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain (P5+1) and Iran following years of negotiations. Under the international agreement, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and be subject to monitoring in exchange for the lifting of international nuclear related sanctions.
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Compliance and verification
The JCPOA includes a robust monitoring, verification and inspection regime carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UN watch dog has verified Iran's compliance with the deal in 12 quarterly reports. The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation standards.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Schlager
Obama's achievement
The Iran nuclear deal was President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement. Seeking to undo nearly every Obama administration legacy, Trump came into office calling it the "worst deal ever." The Trump administration argues the nuclear deal doesn't address other unrelated issues such as Iran's ballistic missiles, regional influence, support for "terrorist" groups and human rights.
Image: Reuters/Y. Gripas
Iranians approved
The nuclear deal and lifting of punishing nuclear related international sanctions created optimism in Iran after years of economic isolation. However, even before Trump pulled the US out of the deal, Tehran blamed the US for holding back international investment and not fulfilling its end of the bargain due to the uncertainty created by Trump's threats.
Image: picture alliance/AA/F. Bahrami
The opponents
After eight years with Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found the US president he wanted in Donald Trump. The Israeli leader repeatedly slammed the deal despite his own military and intelligence chiefs' assessment the that JCPOA, while not perfect, was working and should be maintained. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other main opponents of the nuclear deal.
Image: Reuters/R. Zvulun
Who's left?
The EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) have scrambled to ensure that Iran receives the economic benefits it was promised in order to avoid Tehran pulling out of the deal. As EU businesses face retaliation from the US for doing business with Iran, many are opting to avoid Iran. This would likely be a present to Chinese and Russian businesses.
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As part of the accord, Iran agreed to reduce its nuclear capacity — including centrifuges and enriched uranium stocks, for several years.
Tehran said it would slash the number of centrifuges by more than two-thirds to 5,060, and would maintain this for several years.
Thin red line
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei declared on Monday that he had given orders for preparations to increase uranium enrichment capacity, should the deal fall through. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said these plans were already dangerously close to breaking the agreement.
"It is always dangerous to flirt with the red lines, but the initiative taken ... remains totally within the framework of the Vienna (nuclear) deal."
"If they go to a higher level then yes the agreement would be violated, but they need to realize that if they do then they will expose themselves to new sanctions and the Europeans will not remain passive."
