Iran will remain in N-deal, says Rouhani

European leaders call on Washington to let them carry on with pact

WASHINGTON(TIP): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, May 8, pulled out of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, an Obama-era accord which he has repeatedly criticized.

“It is clear to me that we cannot prevent Iran’s nuclear bomb. The Iran deal is defective at its core. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,” Trump said.

Moments later he signed a fresh set of sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Iran on its nuclear weapons program.

Ever since his election campaign, Trump has frequently criticized the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.

France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.

    — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 8, 2018

He had described the agreement, which was negotiated by then US secretary of state John Kerry, as a bad deal.

I am deeply concerned by today’s announcement that the US will be withdrawing from the JCPOA & will begin reinstating US sanctions, says @antonioguterres. Full text here: https://t.co/LqC2WFJfAC

    — UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) May 8, 2018

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) plus Germany and the European Union.

Trump’s decision would have global ramifications, straining Iranian economy and heightening tensions in the Middle East.

Iran will remain in N-deal, says Rouhani

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, May 8, that Iran would remain committed to a multinational nuclear deal despite US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement designed to deny Tehran the ability to build nuclear weapons.

“If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place… By exiting the deal, America has officially undermined its commitment to an international treaty,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.

“I have ordered the foreign ministry to negotiate with the European countries, China and Russia in coming weeks. If at the end of this short period we conclude that we can fully benefit from the JCPOA with the cooperation of all countries, the deal would remain,” he added.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the full name for the nuclear deal, struck in 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and Germany.

Rouhani added that Iran was ready to resume its nuclear activities after consultations with the other world powers which are part of the agreement.

Trump’s announcement was hailed by Washington’s principal allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, both sworn foes of Iran.

Under the deal, Iran curbed its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of most sanctions imposed on the country.

Trump said he would reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran immediately. His decision puts pressure on his European allies, who are key backers of the deal and reluctant to join the United States in reimposing sanctions on Iran.

Banking turmoil

Some Iranians had been cashing in their savings even before Trump’s announcement he would pull out from the international deal with Iran, straining a banking system weighed down by bad loans and years of isolation.

An official with Iran’s biggest state-owned Melli Bank told Reuters savings had declined by an unspecified amount, although he said this was a temporary phenomenon and that they would recover once the uncertainty over Trump’s decision passed.

“When there is political uncertainty, its psychological impact on people causes a drop in savings. But it will pass after Trump’s deadline,” the official said before the announcement, declining to be named. A senior Iranian central bank official said conditions within the banking system had deteriorated in the past year, and “we have still not passed the danger zone” but added that the central bank had “all the measures ready to prevent any crisis”.

EU will stand by Iran

Europe will stand by the international nuclear accord with Iran, EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a live press statement in Rome on Tuesday. “The EU is determined to preserve it,” she said. “We expect the rest of the international community to continue to preserve it, for the sake of collective security.” “The nuclear accord belongs to the whole of the international community,” Mogherini added. “To the Iranian people I say: do not let anyone dismantle this deal, one of the greatest achievements of the international community.”  “I am particularly worried about tonight’s announcement of further sanctions,” she said, adding that the deal with Iran “is the culmination of 12 years of diplomacy.”

Most Americans reject move

Less than one in three Americans agrees with President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll released on Tuesday, May 8.

The poll, conducted on May 4-8, ahead of the President’s announcement to end the deal, found that 29 per cent of adults wanted to end the deal with Iran and five other world powers to ease sanctions and limit Iran’s nuclear program. Another 42 per cent said the US should remain in the deal, and the remaining 28 per cent said they “don’t know”. Even among those who are registered as Republicans, less than half — 44 per cent — advocated ending the US involvement in the deal. Another 28 per cent wanted to remain, and the remaining 28 percent said they did not know. — Agencies

‘US undermined commitment to treaty’

If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place… By exiting the deal, America has officially undermined its commitment to an international treaty. Hassan Rouhani, Iranian President

‘Will work collectively’

We will work collectively on a broader framework, covering (Iran’s) nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle-East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Emmanuel Macron, French President

‘It’s a historic move’

Israel thinks that Trump made a historic move, and this is why Israel thanks him for his commitment to confront the terrorist regime in Tehran, and his commitment to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

‘Decision misguided’

Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal is misguided. I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake. Barack Obama, former US President.

(Source: PTI and agencies)