World reacts to Trump Iran deal speech: 'Not up to US to terminate it' vs 'Courageous step'

RT
Sat, 14 Oct 2017 08:25 UTC

© Majid Asgaripour / Reuters

Iranian workers stand in front of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, about 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran

US President Donald Trump's decision not to recertify the Iran nuclear agreement has provoked a mixed reaction. The EU said it's not up to Trump to terminate the deal and the UN watchdog confirmed Tehran's compliance, but others praised the step as "resolute."

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal is not a "bilateral agreement," and it cannot be terminated by any single country, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in response to Trump's announcement.

The deal "does not belong to any single country and it is not up to any single country to terminate it," she said.

"We cannot afford as an international community, as Europe for sure, to dismantle a nuclear agreement that is working," Mogherini added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed Trump's speech, saying that any use of "aggressive" rhetoric in international relations is "unacceptable" and "doomed to fail."

In its statement, the ministry stressed that any renewal of UN sanctions against Iran is "out of the question." It further denounced the actions of the US administration as "vestiges of the past" that "are at odds with the modern norms of civilized communication between countries."

Saudi Arabia, however, welcomed what it called "the resolute strategy announced by US President Donald Trump towards Iran and its aggressive approach."

The kingdom claimed that Iran "exploited the economic benefits of lifting the sanctions" by speeding up the development of its missile program, as reported by Saudi state news agency SPA.

The UK, France and Germany said in a joint statement that the nuclear agreement is in their "shared national security interest." The three countries noted that they "stand committed" to the deal and "its full implementation by all sides."

The European states also urged the US administration and Congress "to consider the implications to the security of the US and its allies before taking any steps that might undermine" the agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump's move by calling it a "courageous decision" and "an opportunity to fix this bad deal," the Jerusalem Post reports.

Netanyahu also urged "every responsible government and any person concerned with the peace and security of the world" to follow Israel's footsteps and support the US president's move.

At the same time, Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz called Trump's move "very significant," adding that it might actually lead to a war with Iran. "Iran is the new North Korea. We see where things are going," he told Israel's Channel 2.

In contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron reassured his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, that France is still committed to the deal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) once again confirmed that Tehran is fulfilling its obligations under the 2015 deal. "The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the [deal] are being implemented," the IAEA director general, Yukiya Amano, said in a statement on Friday.

The head of the IAEA added that Iran has provided the organization's inspectors with "broader access to information and locations" on Iranian territory, and that "the IAEA has had access to all locations it needed to visit."

Earlier on Friday, Trump announced that he is deferring the matter to the US Congress, so that it could amend the agreement and "strengthen its enforcement."

He once again claimed that Tehran had committed "multiple violations" of the deal, despite the IAEA's confirmation of Iran's compliance.

The US also imposed a fresh set of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, unrelated to its nuclear program.

Even prior the US president's decision, some world powers had already warned against the consequences of a US decision to withdraw from the agreement.

"A termination of the Iran agreement would turn the Middle East into a region of hot crises" and would "send a devastating signal for nuclear disarmament," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was cited as saying by Die Welt on Thursday.

"Some states could understand a failure of the Iran agreement as a signal to provide themselves with nuclear weapons as fast as possible," he added, apparently referring to North Korea.

On Friday, Beijing called on the US to maintain its commitment to the nuclear deal with Iran: "We believe this deal is important to ensuring the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and regional peace and stability. We hope all parties can continue to preserve and implement this deal," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Comment: Tehran won't cave in to Washington's pressure, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, adding that the US is "now more than ever isolated." Earlier, Donald Trump said he would not re-certify the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and imposed further sanctions on Tehran.

"Today the United States is more than ever isolated in its opposition to the nuclear deal and in its plots against the Iranian people," Rouhani said.

During a televised address on Friday, Rouhani stressed that the deal cannot be amended and no new clauses can be added to it.

Tehran will remain committed to the accord, but only while Iranian national interests are preserved, he said.

Iran, however, will never hesitate to give a "proper answer" if its interests are violated, Rouhani warned.

"The Iranian nation has not and will never bow to any foreign pressure... Iran and the deal are stronger than ever," Rouhani said.

The Iranian president dismissed America's anti-nuclear rhetoric, saying the US is the only country to have ever used an atomic bomb.

He also decried the newly announced US sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

No matter the restrictions, "Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will continue its fight against regional terrorists," Rouhani said.

See also:

• Trump on Iran: No strategy, just aims - with no way to achieve them
• Brainwashed Trump decertifies Iran deal, pushing it to Congress - imposes 'tough sanctions' on Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Democracts, rightly, are calling Trump's new Iran strategy a "grave mistake". Nancy Pelosi added that it not only threatens America's credibility "at a very critical time", but it also threatens her security. Ben Cardin called it "one of the most dangerous and consequential decisions the President has made imperiling US national security." Bob Menendez says it creates "uncertainty among our allies" and emboldens Iran, while Chris Murphy said it makes war in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula more likely. Joe Biden observed that it will not isolate Iran; on the contrary, "It isolates us."

Naturally, Russia and China are rallying behind the Iran deal. As is the EU:

EU foreign policy director Federica Mogherini and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel held phone talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying Europe will respect its side of the deal as long as Tehran honors its obligations.

Both Mogherini and Gabriel acknowledged that Iran had fully lived up to its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the nuclear accord is called, the state news agency IRNA reported. They also said Iran should be allowed to benefit from the economic dividends of the deal reached with the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany under which sanctions were lifted against Tehran.

Gabriel said on Thursday Trump's reported plans to "decertify" the nuclear deal was alienating Washington's European allies and pushing them towards Russia and China.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also held a phone conversation over the agreement with his American counterpart Rex Tillerson, Russia's TASS news agency reported. "Lavrov drew attention to the fact that Tehran abides by all its commitments on the JCPOA and stressed that the other co-authors must adhere to the document," Russia's Foreign Ministry said of the conversation.

Separately, Lavrov expressed doubt about the legal basis for the US to withdraw from the nuclear deal. Lavrov, who was attending a joint press conference with the visiting Minister for External Affairs of Burundi Alain Aime Nyamitwe in Moscow, said the JCPOA had been "approved by the UN Security Council resolution" and is "subject to mandatory implementation."

Trump's decision could put Boeing's recent $20-billion deal with Iranian airlines in jeopardy - not to mention the 100,000 jobs it could create for Americans. That's two campaign promises Trump is betraying in order to please Israel. Good job, Trump.