UK urges US not to 'hinder' Iran nuclear deal work
PRU/AFP / HOBritain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the country had "no intention of walking away" from the Iran nuclear deal
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged the United States on Wednesday not to undermine the Iran nuclear deal it has just ditched and said Washington should "spell out" its plans for what comes next.
"I urge the US to avoid taking any action that would hinder other parties from continuing to make the agreement work," Johnson told parliament, adding that Britain had "no intention of walking away" from the deal, which remained "vital" to its national security.
"For as long as Britain abides by the agreement... then Britain will remain a party to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," he said.
"It's now up to Washington to come up with concrete proposals."
European leaders and key trading power China have vowed to save the 2015 accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for it halting an alleged nuclear weapons programme and allowing international inspections.
They have also vowed to protect companies operating in the country after President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that as a result of pulling out of the deal the US would reinstate severe sanctions against Tehran.
Trump's national security advisor John Bolton said European firms doing business in Iran now have a six-month deadline to wind up investments or risk American sanctions.
"We will do our utmost to protect UK commercial interests," Johnson told lawmakers when pressed on the potential impact on British firms dealing with Tehran.
The foreign secretary said Britain was aware "Iran is up to all sorts of bad behaviour in the region" but that they were not in violation of the JCPOA.
He added America must now provide fuller details of how it plans to proceed outside the framework.
"It falls to the US administration to spell out their view of the way head," said Johnson, who visited Washington earlier this week and failed to convince Trump to remain inside the nuclear deal.
"President Trump said himself last night that he is committed to finding a new solution and we should hold him to his word," he added.
"We have yet to see the detail of how he intends to do it, but we will certainly be as supportive as we can."
Questioned by several lawmakers on whether the US was considering a military solution to the issue, Johnson insisted "there is no such plan".
"After closely interrogating everybody I could find in the White House, there is no enthusiasm for a military option in the United States," he added.
Prime Minister Theresa May earlier told parliament: "We accept that there are other issues in relation to the behaviour of Iran in the region.
"Those are issues that need to be addressed and we are working with our European and other allies to do just that," she said.
Johnson told lawmakers he expected to meet with EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini next week to discuss the bloc's next steps on Iran
Iranians react with sadness, defiance to Trump
Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency/AFP / HOIranian MPs burn a US flag in parliament in Tehran on May 9, 2018
Iranians reacted with a mix of sadness, resignation and defiance on Wednesday to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, with sharp divisions among officials on how best to respond.
"It makes people angry. Sanctions impact the people, not the regime. People worry it will be even more difficult to find medicine when they are sick. This was an issue in the past," said one young woman in Tehran.
Asked how she felt about Trump's claim that he stood with "the long-suffering Iranian people" against their government, she said: "That makes them even more angry."
For many, Trump's decision on Tuesday to pull out of the landmark nuclear deal marked the final death knell for the hope created when it was signed in 2015 that Iran might finally escape decades of isolation and US hostility.
"The first feeling I got, my family and I, was that we should not stay here anymore," said Katayoon Soltani, an accountant.
"Even without sanctions, our economy was terrible. With this decision, I don't know what will happen. All my friends want to leave Iran," she said.
- Counting on Europe -
Still hoping to salvage something from the deal, President Hassan Rouhani has instructed his foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to hold negotiations with the other five parties -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.
They have all signalled their consternation at Trump's withdrawal, which includes an order for foreign businesses to wind down their Iranian operations within six months or face US penalties.
Iranian Supreme Leader's Website/AFP / HOIran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reads a statement during a meeting with students on May 9, 2018
But while European leaders have defiantly said they will work to protect their trade ties, Iran's leaders are sceptical.
"You want to continue the nuclear deal with the three European countries; I don't have confidence in these three countries," said supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a televised speech, addressing the Iranian government.
"If you don't succeed in obtaining a definitive guarantee -- and I really doubt that you can -- at that moment, we cannot continue like this," he said.
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Europe had caved to US pressure before, having shut up shop under previous international sanctions in 2012-15.
"We can't put much confidence in their statements about preserving the agreement, but it's worth testing for a few weeks so that it's clear to the world that Iran has tried all the avenues to a peaceful political resolution," Larijani told parliament.
- Military welcomes withdrawal -
For many conservatives in Iran, Trump's decision was a vindication.
"I welcome the withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear deal. It was clear from the start that the United States is not trustworthy," said General Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, in several media.
AFP / ATTA KENAREAn Iranian man reads a newspaper in Tehran on May 9, 2018 a day after US President Donald Trump announced the US is pulling out of the nuclear deal
He said the nuclear question was just a pretext to curb Iran's defensive capabilities and the "power and influence of the Islamic revolution in the region."
The divisions were clear in the Iranian press on Wednesday morning.
Reformist daily Etemad welcomed a "nuclear deal without the trouble-maker", while the ultra-hardline Kayhan opted for: "Trump has torn up the nuclear deal, it is time for us to burn it".
Some hardline lawmakers did just that on the floor of the parliament chamber, burning a copy of the agreement and a paper American flag.
Outside the old US embassy -- now a museum -- around 200-300 conservative students held a protest, also burning the flag and chanting "Death to America".
- 'Enrichment without limit' -
Seeking to show that he was not taking Trump's announcement lying down, Rouhani said he had ordered Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation to prepare to resume uranium enrichment "without limit".
AFP / ATTA KENAREAn Iranian woman walks past a mural on the wall of the former US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran on May 8, 2018
"We will wait several weeks before applying this decision. We will speak with our friends and allies, the other members of the nuclear agreement," he said in his televised speech immediately after Trump's announcement.
Larijani warned that Trump only understood the "language of force" and that, if the negotiations with the other parties failed, Iran would have to use its nuclear programme to force the world "to see reason".
On the streets, some were proudly defiant.
"I was asleep when Trump made his speech. It's not important to us, we don't care. We are Iranian and we have our way and we don't care about Trump's actions," said bus driver Ali Bigdeli.
One businessman in Iran said the renewed sanctions would certainly add to Iran's economic woes, but could never be as bad as the previous period under Barack Obama.
"The Iranian people are tired from all the pressure but the new sanctions cannot be worse than last time, because now the Europeans are not on America's side and neither are the Asians," said Mohammad Reza Behzadian, former head of Tehran's chamber of commerce.
Nations vow to save Iran nuclear deal after US pullout
AFP / SAUL LOEBUS President Donald Trump signed a document reinstating sanctions against Iran on May 8
World powers vowed Wednesday to uphold a landmark deal curbing Iran's nuclear programme after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement, raising fears of a fresh confrontation with Tehran.
Trump's decision to ditch the accord and reimpose sanctions on the Islamic republic risks overturning years of painstaking diplomacy, worsening instability in the Middle East and threatens foreign companies' business in Iran worth billions of dollars.
"The risks of confrontation are real," warned France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, adding that Europe would act to "avoid the explosion (of conflict) that risks happening if... no measures are taken."
Iran reacted furiously to Trump's decision, with lawmakers burning a US flag and chanting "Death to America" in the Iranian parliament. But its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel applauded the US move.
- Protecting business in Iran -
Trump's advisor John Bolton said earlier that European firms doing business in Iran have a six-month deadline to wind up investments or risk US sanctions.
European governments are going "to do everything to protect the interests" of their companies, said an official in the French presidency, who asked not to be named.
Iranian Supreme Leader's Website/AFP/File / HOIran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran too would quit the nuclear deal unless Europeans offered solid guarantees that trade relations would continue
But Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran too should quit the nuclear deal unless Europeans offer solid guarantees that trade relations would continue.
"If you don't succeed in obtaining a definitive guarantee -- and I really doubt that you can -- at that moment, we cannot continue like this," he told Iran's government in a televised speech.
China said it will maintain "normal economic and trade exchanges" with Iran despite Trump's decision.
Beijing will "remain in dialogue with all parties and continue to devote itself to safeguard and implement the deal," a spokesman said.
Britain, a signatory to the 2015 deal, said it remained committed, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urging Washington "to avoid taking action that would hinder other parties from continuing to make the agreement work."
- Iran 'upholding commitments' -
Slapping aside more than a decade and a half of diplomacy by Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia and past US administrations, Trump called Tuesday for a "new and lasting deal".
He described the accord as an "embarrassment" to the United States that did nothing to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.
But the UN's nuclear watchdog, which is charged with ensuring Iran abides by the terms of the deal, said Wednesday Tehran was upholding its "nuclear-related commitments".
"Iran is subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime," said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Yukiya Amano.
The French, British and German foreign ministers will meet Iranian representatives on Monday, Le Drian told RTL radio.
POOL/AFP / Etienne LAURENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron planned to speak with his Iranian counterpart about preserving the nuclear agreement
French President Emmanuel Macron was also to speak with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani by telephone on Wednesday afternoon about "our wish to stay in the agreement," Le Drian said.
- 'Bomb threat' -
Trump said a deal with Iran would have to include not just deeper restrictions on its nuclear programme, but on its ballistic missiles and support for militant groups across the Middle East.
"We will not allow a regime that chants 'Death to America' to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth," he said.
"If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before."
In response, Rouhani warned Iran could resume uranium enrichment "without limit".
But he also said Iran would discuss its response with other parties to the deal before announcing a decision.
AFP / AFPBehind the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal
Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon, insisting its atomic programme was for civilian purposes.
- Blow for Europe -
IRANIAN PRESIDENCY/AFP/File / HOPresident Hassan Rouhani said Iran could resume uranium enrichment "without limit" in response to Trump's announcement
Trump's decision marked a stark diplomatic defeat for Europe, whose leaders begged the US leader to think again.
Bolton insisted that cooperation with Europe on Iran was not over.
The US will "work with the Europeans and others not only on the nuclear issue but on Iran's ballistic missile development, its continuing support for terrorism and its military activities that jeopardise our friends," he told Fox News.
- 'Bold decision' -
AFP / SAUL LOEBThe decision on Iran fulfilled one of Trump's long-standing campaign promises
Oil prices on Wednesday hit their highest levels for three and a half years.
The move offers Trump a domestic victory, fulfilling a longstanding campaign promise.
But the long-term impact for US foreign policy and for the Middle East was less clear.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States will "lose in the end" from its decision, which Ankara has warned could provoke "new conflicts" in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his country's "deep concern" over the US withdrawal.
Middle East specialist Denis Bauchard of the French international relations institute IFRI told AFP Trump's move aimed "to cause the fall of a regime that he considers a threat to the security of the United States and Israel."
Some analysts warned the move would also complicate US efforts to reach an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over his country's own more advanced weapons programme.
Former CIA director John Brennan said Trump's move "gave North Korea more reason to keep its nukes".
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