EU ministers close ranks to support Iran deal

Luxembourg: Europe will give fresh backing to the Iran nuclear deal on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to tear it up in a belligerent speech that alarmed allies across the Atlantic. EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg will add their voices to a chorus of international support for the landmark 2015 accord that saw Tehran abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for the lifting of punishing sanctions. Trump stopped short of pulling out of the deal in his much anticipated White House speech on Friday, leaving that decision to US lawmakers, but restated his belief the deal was letting Iran off the hook. A senior EU official said foreign ministers were expected to express their "full support for continued implementation" of the deal negotiated with Iran over 12 years.