European powers on Thursday rejected “ultimatums”from Tehran but vowed to fight to save the Iran nuclear deal, as tensions withthe US soar.
Iran said it would defy some restrictions agreed under the2015 accord and threatened to go further if Europe, China and Russia fail todeliver sanctions relief within 60 days.
Tehran says it is responding to unilateral US sanctionsimposed by Washington after President Donald Trump ripped up what he called a”horrible” deal, dealing a severe blow to the Iranian economy.
Europe has stressed the importance of the deal — in whichIran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief — forits own security, and EU president Jean-Claude Juncker said it would be on theagenda at Thursday’s summit in the Romanian town of Sibiu.
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and France, Germanyand Britain — the three European signatories to the deal — voiced “greatconcern” at President Hassan Rouhani’s dramatic intervention.
“We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement itscommitments under the JCPOA in full as it has done until now and to refrainfrom any escalatory steps,” they said in a joint statement, referring tothe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran’scompliance on the basis of Iran’s performance regarding its nuclear-relatedcommitments under the JCPOA.” Arrivingat the Sibiu summit, Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz told reporters:”To be honest, we have a different approach than the US has.
“We still think that the deal with the Iranians was achance to bring Iran out of isolation. But of course we realise and we see thatthe US has a totally different approach and that is why it will stay adifficult issue.”
The EU statement stressed the International Atomic EnergyAgency’s (IAEA) role in monitoring Iran’s compliance with the deal —suggesting no concrete action is likely until the inspectors’ next report atthe end of May.
But there are tensions within the EU, with some countriesunder domestic pressure to take a tougher line on Tehran, particularly afterIranian intelligence was accused over assassination plots in France, Denmarkand the Netherlands.
Europe and Washington have been at loggerheads over how todeal with the Islamic republic since Trump took office. In recent days, the USdeployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf — raising militarytensions alongside the diplomatic discord.
Trump hit back at Tehran’s threats by tightening theeconomic screws further, slapping sanctions on the Iranian mining industry. TheWhite House, which has already taken steps to scupper Iran’s oil exports — itscrucial money-maker — said the steel and mining sector was the country’ssecond-largest source of foreign revenue, accounting for 10 per cent ofexports.
“Tehran can expect further actions unless itfundamentally alters its conduct,” Trump said in a statement.
Since the US pullout, Europe has sought to keep Iran in thedeal by trying to maintain trade via a special mechanism called INSTEX to clearpayments without falling foul of American sanctions.
The European statement reiterated its commitment to helpingthe Iranian people enjoy the benefit of sanctions relief, condemning the USreimposition.
Europe is “determined to continue pursuing efforts toenable the continuation of legitimate trade with Iran” including throughINSTEX.
But their efforts have borne little fruit so far, withIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissing them as a “bitterjoke.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany ChancellorAngela Merkel will discuss Iran with their EU colleagues at Thursday’s summitcalled originally to start the race for the top jobs in Brussels and sketch afuture without Britain.
The 27 national leaders are meeting just two weeks beforeEuropean Parliament elections that could usher in a new wave of populists tohaunt EU decision-making.
The 28th head of government, Britain’s Prime MinisterTheresa May, will be absent as the others discuss a five-year strategy toreinvigorate the union and argue over who should lead it.
The meeting will seek to agree a “SibiuDeclaration” — a short document with 10 overarching commitments to reformin various areas, known tongue-in-cheek by some Brussels diplomats as the”10 Commandments” for the next EU Commission.
There will also be an outline “strategic agenda”,prepared by EU Council president and summit host Donald Tusk, which will bediscussed in more detail so that the leaders can ratify the plan at their Junesummit.
The other main issue on the table, and which has grippeddiscussions in the Brussels corridors of power, is the five-yearly renewal ofthe top EU jobs.
Immediately after the May 23 to 26 parliamentary elections,leaders will begin haggling over who gets to lead the European Commission, thebloc’s executive, and the European Council, which represents national leaders.