OF THE
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The 12-point US ultimatum to Tehran does nothing to further talks with the Islamic Republic on issues not covered by the nuclear deal, nor does it make the world safer, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said.See also: Pompeo's 12 demands list for Tehran is 'an ultimatum designed to fail'
The top EU diplomat has been dismissive of the Trump administration's plan to coax Iran into a new deal by demanding an array of unilateral concessions, including its departure from Syria and withdrawal of support from its allied militias across the Middle East.
The ham-fisted approach envisaged by Washington does not serve any practical purpose, Mogherini argued on Monday, saying that Pompeo's speech "has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] has made or will make the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation or how it puts us in a better position to influence Iran's conduct in areas outside the scope of JCPOA."
Mogherini has become one of the most vocal defenders of the 2015 nuclear accord since the US pull-out earlier this month, reiterating the deal should remain intact as the basis for any future talks with Iran, including over its missile program that has been a major irritant for the West. Denouncing US President Donald Trump's decision to quit the landmark agreement, she reminded that it was "not a bilateral agreement and it is not in the hands of any single country to terminate it unilaterally."
Comment: What a lovely thought. But as has been seen before, those at the top of the heap tend to walk. Witness Killary.