image Photo: Reuters

London and Tehran trade barbs over nuclear dispute

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is accusing Iran of “threatening” its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with world powers “with its systematic non-compliance.”

In remarks during a parliamentary session in London, Raab said that it should be clear that the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are “fully supportive of the JCPOA, and bringing Iran back into full compliance.”

While Britain remains committed to the 2015 nuclear deal, Secretary Raab underscored London’s intention to work with the United States and its European partners to build a wider initiative to address both Iran’s nuclear ambitions and destructive regional activities.

“In fact, it’s not just (US) President (Donald) Trump, but also (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron, who have argued for a broader deal with Iran, which first of all addresses some of the defects in the JCPOA – which is not a perfect deal, but is in our view the best deal we’ve got on the table as of now,” said Britain’s top diplomat, before going on to say that, that “secondly,” the undertaking “would address the wider concerns that the U.S. and many other states, including the United Kingdom, have about Iran’s broader destabilizing activities in the region.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned British Prime Minister’s Boris Johnson against the newly-proposed American-led deal, saying “If you take the wrong step, it will be to your detriment. Pick the right path. The right path is to return to the nuclear deal.”

President Rouhani also threatened both Europe and the U.S. that unless their forces will not be safe until they have been returned home. “The American soldier is not secure today or tomorrow, perhaps the European soldier will not be secure,” said the Iranian leader. After saying that the Islamic Republic does “not want insecurity in the region or anywhere in the world,” he insisted that “We want you (the foreign forces) to leave the region, but not through war making. We want you to leave through your own will which is the most sensible outcome.”