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Iran sets conditions for Europe to remain in nuclear deal

May 24, 2018 at 4:33 pm

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei [Wikipedia]

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday set out a list of conditions for European powers if they want a guarantee that Iran would remain within the nuclear deal.

Among the list of conditions, Khamenei demanded that European banks “safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic,” saying that Tehran does “not want to start a fight with these three countries,” making a reference to Britain, France and Germany.

The guarantee to increase the purchase of Iranian oil was also demanded, as “in case Americans can damage our oil sales…Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil.”

Khamenei also alleged that the European powers had remained silent as the US “repeatedly violated” the nuclear deal, and demanded that the way for Europe to “make up for that silence” would be to “stand up against the US sanctions”.

Another demand is that European powers must promise that they would not attempt to seek new negotiations on Iran’s ballistic missile programme and other regional activities within the Middle East.

Khamenei concluded by warning that if Europe did not meet Iran’s demands and conditions, the country would resume its enrichment of uranium that would enable it to fully develop nuclear weapons, which was halted under the agreement of the now-endangered nuclear deal struck in 2015.

Iran ‘ready to return to pre-nuke deal era’: Official

After President Donald Trump announced that the United States was pulling out of the landmark deal in early May, EU members including France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the UK Prime Minister Theresa May appealed to Trump to reconsider his decision in order to prevent Iran resorting to continuing its nuclear weapons programme. In retaliation to Trump’s betrayal of the agreement initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama and the subsequent UN Resolution 2231, Khamenei urges Europe to secure “a resolution against the US violation”.

Since the Supreme Leader announced the conditions for remaining in the nuclear deal, both France and China have confirmed that they will stand by the existing nuclear deal, a move that will likely anger the White House.

No compromise in sight on Iran nuclear deal, Germany says