Iran nuclear deal necessary for Europe - German FM
European countries are united in their belief that
it is necessary to have a nuclear agreement with Iran and to implement it,
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday as quoted by Sputnik news
agency.
"We in Europe agree that this deal is crucial
for our security. No one wants Iran to have a nuclear bomb, and this is what
the deal aims at. We have been successfully doing it so far. This is why we
will continue to speak together in favour of the implementation of this
agreement. We are conducting negotiations again exactly for this purpose",
Maas told reporters upon his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council of EU
ministers in Brussels.
The German foreign minister stressed that Europe
presumed that Iran would not gradually discontinue its commitments under the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as Iran nuclear deal,
but would fully implement its commitments instead.
Iranian President Rouhani announced on May 8 — one
year the after US withdrawal from the JCPOA — that Tehran would partially
discontinue its commitments under the deal.
Rouhani gave Europe 60 days to ensure Iran's
interests were protected under the agreement. Otherwise, Tehran is ready to
take further steps on scrapping the nuclear deal, Rouhani added.
