London: Britain, France and Germany have triggered the dispute resolution mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a step that over months could result in the collapse of the agreement entirely and the return of European sanctions on Tehran.
Officials described the move as one taken more in sorrow than anger and said it was in part prompted by fears that Iran may now be less than a year away from possessing the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb. The leaders of the three nations said in a statement that they've been "left with no choice, given Iran's actions, but to register today our concerns that Iran is not meeting its commitments".
The decision was taken in principle before Christmas by the three European powers, and not prompted by the recent Iranian attack on US bases in Iraq, or the Iranians' accidental downing of the Ukrainian airliner.Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas said the three European countries "could no longer leave the growing Iranian violations of the nuclear agreement unanswered".
"Our goal is clear: we want to preserve the accord and come to a diplomatic solution within the agreement," he said. "We will tackle this together with all partners in the agreement. We call on Iran to participate constructively in the negotiation process that is now beginning." The six signatories to the deal, Iran, Russia, China and the EU states – France, Germany and the UK – will now meet at political director level in Vienna to hear formally that Iran's steps away from the deal have required the EU to trigger the deal's elaborate dispute resolution mechanism.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he would be willing to work on a "Trump deal" to replace an international treaty designed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
"If we are going to get rid of it then we need a replacement," Johnson said of the 2015 nuclear deal that he and other European powers have been trying to salvage after Washington pulled out. He added: "If we are going to get rid of it, let's replace it and let's replace it with the Trump deal.
"That's what we need to see. I think that would be a great way forward." Britain, France and Germany have been trying to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which curbed Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.