Iran slams European calls for new nuclear deal, saying it has bowed to the US

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has criticised the European states who were part of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, accusing them of failing to honour their commitments, and said that they had bowed to US pressure.

In a tweet, Zarif said: “E3’s paralysis in fulfilling their obligations w/o [without] US permission has been clear since May 2018”, in reference to the “EU three” consisting of France, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) who have been at the forefront of attempting to save the nuclear deal since the US unilaterally withdrew from it last year.

E3's paralysis in fulfilling their obligations w/o US permission has been clear since May 2018.

Solution to this deficiency: mustering will to forge independent path—not parroting absurd US claims & requests INCONSISTENT with JCPOA.

No new deal before compliance w/ current one.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 23, 2019

The solution to the trio’s alleged reliance on the US is, Zarif wrote, “mustering will to forge independent path—not parroting absurd US claims & requests” which do not match with the original deal struck in 2015.

Zarif ended by firmly stating that there will be “No new deal before compliance w/ [with] current one.”

Trump upbeat on Johnson’s idea of new Iran deal

The statement comes a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the US-based news channel NBC in an interview that “if it was a bad deal — and I’m willing to accept that, it had many, many defects — then let’s do a better deal.” The solution, Johnson continued, was to resort to a new deal which should be moulded and implemented primarily by the US with President Donald Trump at the forefront.

“There’s one guy who can do a better deal and one guy who understands how to get a difficult partner like Iran over the line and that is the president of the United States. So I hope that there will be a Trump deal, to be totally honest with you,” he said.

Shortly after Johnson’s comments, the E3 issued a joint statement accusing Iran of conducting the recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facility and that it should be ready to accept a new deal. “It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility…The time has come for Iran to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear programme as well as on issues related to regional security.”

The stance of the European trio is in stark contrast to its previous position of sympathy for Iran under US pressure and support for the maintenance of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Until its statement yesterday, the E3 had been the mediator between the two countries, attempting to reconcile their disagreements, keep Iran adhering to the deal and encouraging the US to lift its sanctions and return to the deal.