EU will not abandon Iran nuclear deal after US withdrawal: German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Berlin, May 19: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the European Union (EU) has no intention to abandon the Iran nuclear deal after the US withdrawal. She said although the agreement is not perfect, it is better than no agreement.

Merkel said this at a televised press conference after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi yesterday. The German leader said, the Iran nuclear deal was one of the main topics she discussed with President Putin and that they were united in supporting continued talks with Iran on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. She said, Germany, Britain, France and all their colleagues in the EU support this deal and they intend to stick to it in the future.

The Iran nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was signed in 2015 by Iran, Russia, the US, Britain, China, France and Germany. On May 8, US President Donald Trump said, his country would withdraw from the deal alleging that it has failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.

British PM Theresa May met Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers. Trump has since imposed new sanctions.