British prime minister tells Netanyahu Iran nuclear deal best way forward

Edited by Pavel Jacomino
2018-06-07 15:19:36

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British Prime Minister Theresa May greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside 10 Downing Street in London on June 6, 2018.  Photo: AFP

London, June 7 (RHC)-- British Prime Minister Theresa May has reiterated her country's support for the Iran nuclear deal in talks with her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying London would remain committed to its obligations under the multilateral accord as long as Tehran is.

In a meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday, the UK premier said the UN-backed nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), remains "the best route" to what she called "preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."

The UK premier conceded "differences of opinion" with Netanyahu regarding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and said, "We will remain committed to it as long as Iran meets its obligations."  
Netanyahu pressed May to believe that the Iranian nuclear deal is on the point of collapse and that a fresh plan is needed to stop Iran from restarting its uranium enrichment program.  He reportedly told May that he was focused on making sure Iran did not get a "nuclear weapon," and on "how to roll back Iran's aggression in the region," where Tehran is helping its neighbors fight terror.

London was the third and last destination in Netanyahu's European tour, which had earlier taken him to France and Germany.  Israel has stepped up its lobbying attempts against the Iran deal since the U.S.'s withdrawal from the landmark accord in defiance of stern international warnings from the other signatories.

Contrary to the U.S. and Israel, Europe insists the 2015 agreement works and Iran has respected it as repeatedly confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  The European signatories are now trying to come up with a package to ring-fence trade with Iran against renewed U.S. financial sanctions to dissuade Tehran from quitting the accord.

The finance ministers and foreign secretaries of the UK, Germany and France have jointly written to the U.S., seeking assurances that Washington will not impose secondary sanctions on EU firms operating in Iran.
 



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