France defense minister warns against ‘weakening’ Iran deal
France has hailed the Iran nuclear deal as a source of stability in the volatile Middle East region, just hours before Washington’s announcement on whether or not it will keep its side of the multilateral accord.
Speaking on RTL radio on Tuesday, France’s Defense Minister Florence Parly said Iran has respected the nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“The 2015 Vienna agreement is not perfect but allowed the suspension of the Iranian nuclear power program and weakening it would be a factor of aggravation in a very eruptive region,” Parly said.
US President Donald Trump faced a May 12 deadline to decide whether to reinstate anti-Iran sanctions, which were lifted under the JCPOA. He had said the US would pull out of the deal unless the European parties agree to fix what he has claimed “flaws” in the agreement until that day.
Trump, however, said on Twitter that he would announce his decision on the Iran nuclear pact at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday that France, Germany and the UK – the three European signatories to the Iran deal -- were committed to maintaining it regardless of Trump’s decision.
Trump has come under mounting pressure by the European signatories, which believe the deal is working and should be preserved.
In an effort to dissuade Trump from killing the historic deal, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson paid back-to-back visits to the US this month.
Iran has warned that the US will regret a possible withdrawal from the agreement, assuring that the Islamic Republic has plans in place to counter any fallout from the decision.
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