UK Prime Minister: Europe is Committed to Preserving the Nuclear Agreement with Iran

The UK Prime Minister states that her country and its European allies are committed to preserving the nuclear agreement with Iran. Theresa May has also called for the release of dual-national prisoners in Iran and condemned Iran's missile attack against Israeli forces. On May 12, following a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, May stated that both emphasized the need for continued dialogue between the two countries and are looking forward to the upcoming meeting on Tuesday between the foreign ministers of Iran, the UK, France, and Germany. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif began a trip on Sunday to discuss with the remaining parties in the nuclear agreement; his first destination was China, followed by Moscow on Monday and Brussels on Tuesday. According to the UK Prime Minister's office, May, in another part of her phone conversation with Rouhani, called for the release of Iranian-British prisoners 'considering humanitarian reasons.' May also stated that the UK 'condemns the Iranian missile attack against Israeli forces and urges Tehran not to carry out such attacks.' The statement from the UK Prime Minister's office added that 'she said that to maintain peace and stability in the region, it is essential to refrain from provocative actions.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Rouhani, in a phone call with May, described the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, the UK, France, Germany, and the EU's foreign policy chief as 'very important' and expressed hope that this meeting could secure Tehran's interests while preserving the JCPOA. Rouhani emphasized that 'Iran's interests in important issues related to the JCPOA, such as the sale of oil, gas, petrochemicals, and banking and investment relations, must be clearly defined and guaranteed.' According to the Iranian presidential website, the UK Prime Minister informed Rouhani that European countries have prepared 'a package of proposals to preserve the JCPOA.' The German Foreign Minister stated the previous day that although his country wants to assist German companies engaged in trade with Iran, protecting these companies from the damage caused by the re-imposition of US sanctions against Tehran will be difficult. Zarif will meet on Tuesday, May 25, in Brussels with the EU's foreign policy chief and the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and France to discuss the future of the JCPOA. Hours before Rouhani's remarks about the limited time for negotiations with European countries, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that 'Europeans have 60 days to provide the necessary guarantees regarding Iran's interests and compensation for the damages caused by the US withdrawal.' After the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Rouhani announced that if the remaining five countries in the JCPOA 'guarantee that Iran's interests will be realized with the continuation of the JCPOA,' the agreement will remain in place despite the US exit. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, announced that he does not trust the Europeans either and that 'definite guarantees' must be obtained from them. In recent hours, the French Foreign Minister also reiterated the necessity of preserving the nuclear agreement, stating that from Paris's perspective, this agreement is very important for preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world, as Iran is not moving towards nuclear weapons. Jean-Yves Le Drian stated, 'We are one of the parties to the [nuclear agreement of July 2015] in Vienna and will remain one of its parties.' On the other hand, John Bolton, National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, in an interview with CNN, mentioned the possibility of sanctions against European companies dealing with Iran, stating, 'Everything depends on the actions of other governments.' The US Secretary of State has also expressed hope that Washington, along with its allies, can reach a new nuclear agreement with Iran. Donald Trump, the US President, had called for reforms in the JCPOA that would permanently prevent Iran's nuclear program, include extensive inspections, and prevent the development of ballistic missile programs. Tehran rejected renegotiation of the JCPOA. Trump withdrew from the JCPOA.