German Newspaper: Europe, Russia, and China Negotiating New Agreement with Iran

"Welt am Sonntag," citing "European sources," reports that diplomats from Europe, Russia, and China are negotiating a new agreement with Iran, under which Tehran would receive economic assistance in exchange for limitations on its missile program and cessation of its "interference" in the region. Reuters, on May 19, reports that officials from Europe, Russia, and China will meet in Vienna next week, with the sessions chaired by Helga Schmid, Deputy High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union. These negotiations follow the U.S. withdrawal from the "JCPOA" and one of their main objectives, as stated by the German newspaper, is to keep the nuclear agreement with Iran alive. "Welt am Sonntag" cites "senior European sources" stating that representatives from Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia will participate in next week's meeting, but the United States will not be involved. It remains unclear whether representatives from Iran, a country that has consistently emphasized the preservation and development of its missile program, will attend the negotiations. A senior European diplomat told "Welt am Sonntag" that "we need to set aside the name 'Vienna nuclear agreement' and add new elements to it." This refers to the agreement reached between Tehran, the Obama administration, and five other world powers in July 2015 in Vienna, Austria. Donald Trump was a staunch critic of the nuclear agreement with Iran and called for reforms to ensure that Iran could not irreversibly and indefinitely achieve nuclear weapons capability, leading to extensive inspections of Iranian facilities and preventing the development of Iran's missile program. The United States has also strongly criticized Iran's actions in the region. Tehran has opposed renegotiating the JCPOA, stating that its missile program has been developed for defensive purposes and is not willing to halt it. Other parties to the nuclear agreement have called for its preservation, but Mr. Trump ultimately withdrew from it. Since then, there have been meetings and discussions between senior officials of the Islamic Republic and European, Russian, and Chinese officials. The remaining parties in the nuclear agreement want to maintain Tehran's presence and have expressed hope that the implementation of the "JCPOA" can continue, but it is unclear how feasible this is with the return of U.S. sanctions and Washington's pressures. A senior European diplomat involved in discussions with "Welt am Sonntag" stated that only by changing the name of the nuclear agreement and adding new elements to it might it be possible to convince the U.S. President to comply with it and refrain from reinstating sanctions. "Welt am Sonntag" has suggested that the challenges faced by European companies in avoiding U.S. sanctions have led European officials to seek a new approach. According to "Welt am Sonntag," the new agreement could include billions of dollars in economic assistance for Iran, similar to the assistance the EU provided to Turkey to host millions of Syrian refugees and prevent their passage to Europe. The German Foreign Ministry has not yet reacted to the report from "Welt am Sonntag." "Welt am Sonntag" is the Sunday edition of the German newspaper "Die Welt."