Europe to back Iran despite sanctions: Spanish daily

Madrid, July 8, IRNA – Europe is supporting Iran despite the US threat of sanctions, a Spanish daily said, adding that the Europeans think it is in their interest to embrace Iran instead of standing by President Trump. When the US President Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign vow to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, signed by his predecessor Barak Obama, the other signatories to the deal objected to him, Herman Tertsch, a political commentator wrote in the Spanish daily ABC on Saturday. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, France, Britain, China, and Russia) plus Germany signed the nuclear deal in 2015. Iran accepted to curb its nuclear program in exchange of economic sanctions relief. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May, calling it the worst deal ever. The Europeans had assumed that Trump will fall short of his vows. Moreover, they were eying the huge business with Iran, the article read, said the Spanish daily. France, Germany and Britain, as well as Russia and China, had planned for a large income from doing business with Iran. When Trump criticized the deal, they declared their commitment to it, the ABC wrote. EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini invited the five remained signatories to a meeting in Vienna to give guarantee to Iran that they are supporting the deal in spite of the US threats, it added. Their message to Iran was that they would back it, buy oil and gas and promote trade with Iran, despite Trump's warnings. China and Russia have their own agenda, but the Europeans think that it is in their interest to embrace Iran instead of standing by President Trump, wrote the Spanish commentator. 1378/IRNA