BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – The long-standing dispute over restoring the nuclear deal with Iran seems deadlocked again. In a joint statement on Saturday, the governments of Germany, France and Great Britain criticized Iran for not wanting to conclude the agreement on the table. In view of this, advice will be given on how best to deal with “Iran’s continued nuclear escalation” and the lack of willingness to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the statement distributed by the Federal Foreign Office.
The Union’s foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag, Jürgen Hardt, considers the nuclear negotiations with Iran to have failed. “Iran is no longer counting on a successful negotiation,” Hardt told the Bayern media group (Monday). The foreign policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Ulrich Lechte, warned there of another conflict in the world. Europe has a great interest in continuing the nuclear deal with Iran.
The 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran, which aims to prevent the country from developing a nuclear bomb, has been on hold since the US left in 2018. The aim of the ongoing talks is to lift US sanctions against Iran and restrict Tehran’s nuclear program again. Just over a week ago, Iran presented a new proposal to end the dispute – in response to a compromise proposal from the EU. Details on this were not known.
“Unfortunately, Iran has decided not to seize this crucial diplomatic opportunity. Instead, Iran is continuing to escalate its nuclear program well beyond what can plausibly be justified on civilian grounds,” criticized Germany, France and Britain. The latest demands raised serious doubts about the country’s intentions. “Our position remains clear and unchanged,” it said. Iran must cooperate with the IAEA “unrestrictedly and immediately in good faith” and provide technically credible answers to questions about the whereabouts of all nuclear material in its sovereign territory.
Union foreign policy expert Hardt told the Bayern media group that in the shadow of the Russian war against Ukraine, Tehran is obviously speculating that the consensus of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, i.e. Russia, China, France, Great Britain and the USA, has broken down. The federal government is now called upon to “significantly increase the sanctions pressure on Iran together with the western partners”.
FDP foreign politician Lechte warned of an escalation. Israel and the United States could resort to a preventive strike against Iran, he told the Bayern media group. “One thing is certain: Tehran must not rise to the ranks of the nuclear powers.” However, there is currently no willingness to negotiate in Tehran./tam/DP/he