The European Union 'Carefully Examines' Donald Trump's Statements on the JCPOA

Following Donald Trump's 120-day deadline for reviewing the nuclear agreement with Iran, the European Union announced on Tuesday, January 16, that it is 'carefully examining' the statements of the U.S. President. On January 11, Mr. Trump extended the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran 'for the last time' and urged Washington's European partners to address what he called the 'flaws' in the JCPOA. Meanwhile, Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, reported that EU members are consulting with each other on how to respond to Donald Trump. According to the French news agency, he told the European Parliament: 'You have witnessed that the United States extended the suspension of sanctions against Iran last Friday. Currently, Britain, Germany, and France, along with other EU member states, are carefully examining this matter and its implications.' Donald Trump has described the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, as 'disastrous' and called for a new agreement to prevent Iran's ballistic missile program; however, the EU has so far emphasized that the nuclear agreement should be separated from other issues. According to this report, EU officials also stated that during their meeting on Thursday with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, in Brussels, they challenged him on several issues. Johannes Hahn stated: 'These issues include tensions in the Middle East, Iran's missile program, and recent protests in Iran.' He added: 'Let me be clear. All these issues must be resolved, and their resolution must be outside the framework of the nuclear agreement.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly stated that it will not accept any changes to the nuclear agreement and is not willing to renegotiate it. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, also criticized Donald Trump's statements regarding the need to revise the nuclear agreement on Monday and warned that Moscow does not support this. In this context, Moscow: The U.S. has made its decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. Zarif's reaction to Trump's statement: The JCPOA is not up for renegotiation. The Chinese Foreign Minister: The nuclear agreement with Iran is on the right track. Netanyahu emphasizes the need to amend the JCPOA in a phone conversation with Macron. Russia criticizes Trump's demands regarding the JCPOA; Germany is seeking more details. Airbus: Custom aircraft for Iran may be delivered later.