EU pressures Iran on atom deal in last-ditch bid to save it
Source: AP
By LORNE COOK and DAVID RISING
BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain, France and Germany on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on Iran to stop violating its landmark nuclear deal in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences through talks while also starting a process that could bring back punishing U.N. sanctions on Tehran.
The three European Union countries are being pressed on one side by U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon the agreement like he did unilaterally in 2018, and on the other side from Iran to provide enough economic incentives for them to roll back their violations.
Now, the Europeans have reluctantly triggered the accord’s dispute mechanism to force Iran into discussions, starting the clock on a process that could result in the “snapback” of U.N. and EU sanctions on Iran.
The three nations specifically avoided threatening the sanctions while emphasizing hopes for a negotiated resolution. They held off their announcement until tensions between the U.S. and Iran had calmed down after the Jan. 3 killing of an Iranian general in an American drone strike so their intent would not be misinterpreted.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is surrounded by reporters at the European parliament Tuesday, Jan.14, 2020 in Strasbourg, eastern France. Britain, France and Germany have launched action under the Iran nuclear agreement paving the way for possible sanctions in response to Tehran's attempts to roll back parts of the deal, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
Read more: https://apnews.com/76ef3722e781efed91a832a44d25917d
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