Europe caved to US ‘bully’ by ‘selling out’ nuclear deal to avoid new Trump tariffs – Zarif

France, Britain and Germany have betrayed the 2015 nuclear deal after being threatened with US tariffs, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has claimed, noting that Europe has lost the moral high ground.

The three European states accused Tehran of non-compliance with the accord after buckling under pressure from the United Sates, Zarif wrote in a tweet, citing a Washington Post report detailing how the White House allegedly used strong-arm tactics to force the issue. The Iranian diplomat said that the European signatories had “sold out” what was left of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as an act of appeasement.

It won't work my friends. You only whet his appetite. Remember your high school bully? If you want to sell your integrity, go ahead. But DO NOT assume high moral/legal ground.

Britain, France and Germany are “independent countries” and should not allow themselves to be “bullied” by the United States, Zarif said on Wednesday.

The European trio triggered an investigative mechanism embedded in the largely defunct accord after Iran announced that it will move beyond uranium enrichment limitations. Tehran made the decision in response to the assassination of one of its top military leaders in a US drone strike earlier this month.

Washington unilaterally pulled out the deal in May 2018. The accord’s remaining signatories have signaled a desire to preserve the deal, but have been unwilling to bypass US sanctions placed on Iran. Under the terms of the 2015 deal, Iran had agreed to curtail its domestic nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Tehran has scaled back its commitments, citing non-compliance by other parties.US President Donald Trump has proposed a new agreement, the so-called “Trump deal”, but Tehran says it is not interested in negotiation with Washington.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!