European ambassadors to US back Iran nuclear pact
The ambassadors to Washington from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union all strongly backed the international nuclear agreement with Iran on Monday, as long as Tehran continues to comply with the pact.
US President Donald Trump is weighing whether the 2015 deal serves US security interests as he faces a mid-October deadline for certifying that Iran is complying with the pact, a decision that could sink an agreement strongly supported by the other world powers that negotiated it.
"We agree that the demise of this agreement would be a major loss," David O'Sullivan, the European Union's envoy in Washington, said at an Atlantic Council panel discussion.
German Ambassador Peter Wittig said anyone advocating walking away should consider "larger issues," including an increased danger Iran would resume enrichment, danger of a nuclear arms race in an unstable region and impact on global nonproliferation efforts.
"What kind of signal would this send to countries like North Korea?" Wittig asked. "It would send a signal that diplomacy is not reliable, that you can't trust diplomatic agreements, and that would affect, I believe, our credibility in the West when we're not honoring an agreement that Iran has not violated."
If Trump does not recertify by October 16, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions suspended under the accord.
