EU gathering in Brussels to salvage Iran deal

Brussels, January 10

European foreign affairs ministers and the NATO secretary general are gathering in Brussels for an emergency meeting during which they are expected to reiterate their support for the nuclear deal brokered with Iran.

Despite calls from US president Donald Trump to break away from the deal, which is aimed at preventing Iran from getting atomic weapons, the European Union remains committed to the treaty amid an escalation of tensions in the region. Iran struck the deal in 2015 with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.

Speaking on French radio RTL ahead of the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian continued to insist the accord “is not dead” and said it’s essential to salvage it. Blaming the US decision to withdraw, Le Drian said Iran could get access to atomic weapons within “one or two years” if the deal continues to lose its substance.

Slovakia’s foreign minister too said the focus would be on finding ways on how to bring Tehran back into the accord. — Agencies