- Title: On its fifth anniversary, the Iran nuclear deal hangs by a thread.
- Date: 13th July 2020
- Summary: At a summit in Egypt, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European Union and Arab League leaders should address "aggressive tendencies from Iran", adding that the EU stood by its agreement with Iran. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT (FILE - FEBRUARY 25, 2019) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING TO MAKE STATEMENT ON SIDELINES OF ARAB LEAGUE - EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "What needs mentioning is the omnipresent nuclear threat. We Europeans continue to support the agreement with Iran but we are also seeing aggressive tendencies from Iran so the question is how the Arab League and the European Union deal with Iran. That's something we have to discuss together. So as you can see, this is a summit with a lot of topics and surely also with a lot of differing opinions, yet the common goal will be to solve the problems." A senior U.S. arms control official said that Iran's missile program is destabilising the Middle East and increasing the risk of a "regional arms race". GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (FILE - MARCH 19, 2019) (REUTERS) IRAN REPRESENTATIVE AT UNITED NATIONS-SPONSORED CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE, YLEEM POBLETE, SAYING: "Iran's missile program is a key contributor to increased tensions and destabilisation in the region, increasing the risk of a regional arms race. Iran must immediately cease activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Iran must halt the proliferation of missiles and missile technology to terror groups and other non-state actors."
- Embargoed: 27th July 2020 07:54
- Keywords: 2015 nuclear deal French President Emmanuel Macron Hassan Rouhani IAEA Iran Iran nuclear Russia Tehran U.S. President Donald Trump nuclear deal uranium enrichment
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- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA008CMNU4AV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: JULY 14 MARKS FIVE YEARS SINCE AGREEMENT REACHED WITH IRAN OVER ITS NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES
The Iran nuclear deal was left hanging by a thread in 2020 after Tehran announced it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium - a move Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned could be the beginning of the end of the nuclear accord.
The deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief was agreed in 2015 between Iran and six major world powers.
Iran had been expected to lay out its latest position on the deal earlier this year, but after the U.S. drone killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani there was a major escalation of hostilities with Washington.
Tehran had already been overstepping limits on its nuclear activities in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and the subsequent reimposition of sanctions that have crippled Iran's oil trade.
European governments have sought to rescue the accord.
Tehran said it would continue to cooperate with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog and said it can quickly reverse the steps it is taking if U.S. sanctions are removed.
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