EU backs Iran deal, urges US Congress to protect it
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers on Monday backed the Iran nuclear agreement, saying the accord is working and is a key part of non-proliferation efforts despite U.S. President Donald Trump withdrawing his support for it.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, whose team has been a key player in drawing up the deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions, suggested that domestic U.S. politics was at play in Trump’s decision.
Trump “decertified” the deal Friday, angrily accusing Iran of violating the 2015 international nuclear accord, and directed the U.S. Congress to make it more stringent. But he did not pull the U.S. out or re-impose nuclear sanctions.
“The EU is committed to the continued full and effective implementation of all parts” of the agreement, the European ministers said in a statement. They noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency has certified eight times that Iran was living up to its commitments. The deal has also been certified twice in the United States since Trump took office.