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◢ Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday that efforts to save the nuclear deal after the abrupt US withdrawal were "on the right track" as he began talks with European powers in Brussels. Mohammad Javad Zarif met EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini ahead of evening talks with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany—the three European signatories to the 2015 landmark deal who are scrambling to preserve it.
◢ Iran's foreign minister is due to land in Brussels later Tuesday on the final leg of a global tour rallying diplomatic support for the country's nuclear deal. Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany—the three European nations involved in the landmark deal who are incensed by Washington's abandonment of the pact.
◢ Iran's foreign minister said Sunday he was hopeful of forging a "clear future design" for the nuclear deal facing collapse after Washington's withdrawal, at the start of a diplomatic tour aimed at rescuing the agreement. Zarif will later fly to Moscow and Brussels to consult the remaining signatories to the 2015 agreement denounced by US President Donald Trump.
◢ Iran's foreign minister arrived in Beijing Sunday, Iranian media said, on the first leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour designed to try and rescue the nuclear deal left on the brink of collapse after the US pulled out. Mohammad Javad Zarif will later fly to Moscow and Brussels to consult with the remaining signatories to the 2015 agreement denounced by President Donald Trump.
◢ While Russia has condemned Washington for its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Moscow remains less exposed to the economic consequences of US sanctions than Europe and its companies could even benefit from the move. Russia and Iran sought to strengthen their business ties long before the 2015 agreement, despite international sanctions in place.
◢ The Turkish economy minister on Friday said the United States withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal was an "opportunity" for Turkey, insisting there would be no-let up in trade with Tehran. "I see it like this, this is an opportunity for Turkey," Nihat Zeybekci told state news agency Anadolu, adding: "I will continue to trade with Iran."
◢ France's economy minister Bruno Le Maire urged European nations Friday to defend themselves against US sanctions targeting foreign companies that trade with Iran, as the rift between Washington and its allies deepens. Le Maire said the European Union had to defend its "economic sovereignty" when it comes to the right to trade with Iran.
◢ Saudi Arabia will seek to develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran does, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN on Wednesday, amid spiraling tension between the regional rivals. Riyadh, which leads a regional coalition that intervened in Yemen's civil war to fight the Huthis, accuses Iran of supplying the militia with ballistic missiles.
◢ Iranians reacted with a mix of sadness, resignation and defiance on Wednesday to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, with sharp divisions among officials on how best to respond. While European leaders have defiantly said they will work to protect their trade ties, Iran's leaders are skeptical.
◢ French President Emmanuel Macron and Iran's Hassan Rouhani agreed on Wednesday during a phone call to work toward "the continued implementation of the nuclear deal" despite the US decision to withdraw from the agreement, the French presidency said. Macron's office said France and Iran's foreign ministers would meet "without delay" for talks.
◢ The EU is "determined to preserve" the Iran nuclear deal despite the US withdrawal, the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday, pledging to "stay true" if Tehran stuck to its commitments. EU President Donald Tusk said the Iran deal would be on the agenda when the bloc's leaders meet for a summit in Sofia next week.
◢ Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to a nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump's decision Tuesday to withdraw from the accord, which it branded "psychological warfare.” President Hassan Rouhani also said Iran could resume uranium enrichment "without limit" in response to Trump's announcement.
◢ Renewed nuclear sanctions would certainly cause severe problems for Iran's economy, but much of the damage has already been done by the uncertainty created by the US and myriad home-grown problems. It was awkward timing for the annual International Oil Show in Tehran this week, which opened just two days before US President Donald Trump was due to make his decision on the Iran deal.
◢ Rob Malley, the conflict resolution specialist and former adviser to Barack Obama who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear accord, has no doubt that Donald Trump will now try to kill it. The US president is expected to announce on Tuesday that he will re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran—effectively pulling the US out—but that does not mean the deal is dead and buried.
◢ President Donald Trump will confirm on Tuesday whether he will make good on a threat to re-impose US sanctions on Tehran and thereby throw the entire Iran nuclear deal into question. Trump's announcement that a decision was imminent cut short a last-ditch European diplomatic drive to save the accord ahead of what had been a May 12 deadline.
◢ Iran's ambassador to Britain said Tehran will consider walking away from the nuclear deal if the United States withdraws from the agreement, in an interview aired Wednesday. Hamid Baeidinejad, the country's top envoy in London, said Iran would "be ready to go back to the previous situation" if America pulls out of the 2015 pact, as threatened by US President Donald Trump.
