White House: US Calls On 'Responsible Nations' to Bring Pressure On Iran

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States urged what it called "responsible" countries around the world to exert more pressure on Iran to halt its destabilizing activities in the Middle East, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

“Already this week, the IRGC (Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) has fired rockets at Israeli citizens, and Iran’s proxies in Yemen have launched a ballistic missile at Riyadh,” the statement said. “These actions are further proof that the Iranian regime’s reckless actions pose a severe threat to regional peace and security. It is time for responsible nations to bring pressure on Iran to change this dangerous behavior.”

US President Donald Trump earlier this week announced that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The president also vowed to re-impose the highest level of economic sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran's development of its nuclear program.

Following Trump's announcement, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed their regret over the US decision in a joint statement, stressing their countries' commitment to the JCPOA.

On July 14, 2015, the European Union and the P5+1 group of countries — China, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — signed the JCPOA with Iran. The accord stipulated a gradual lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear program and allowing inspections to ensure that the nature of the program is peaceful.