French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has commented on the fate of the Iranian nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump had announced the decision to withdraw from the agreement.
"This agreement is not dead," the minister told French radio station RTL, adding that President Emmanuel Macron would speak later in the day to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
According to the French top diplomat, "there is a real risk of confrontation" in the wake of Washington's decision, however, he voiced hope that the US move would not be "a setback for peace."
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He has further said that Macron's talks with Rouhani would be followed by negotiations next week, which would be attended by representatives of Tehran, as well as Paris, London and Berlin.
Germany's Reaction on US Withdrawal
The US decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, is unacceptable, causes regret and concern, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday.
"We took note of yesterday's decision of the US president with regret and concern. In recent weeks, together with the French and UK partners, we have been intensively engaged in keeping the United States in this agreement. But the decision was not sudden for us, as it has been anticipated in recent days. It was and remains unacceptable for us," Maas told reporters.
The minister stressed that German would remain a party to the agreement with Iran, explaining that it was in line with the country’s political and security interests. The top diplomat also highlighted that the US withdrawal from the deal was likely to deteriorate the situation in the region.
"The US withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the resumption of sanctions, from our point of view, significantly disavow efforts to stabilize the situation in the region," said Maas, adding that Washington's move "contributes to increased uncertainty, threatens to shake confidence in international treaties."
According to a joint statement issued by Paris, London and Berlin, due to the US decision "the nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake."
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Another Iran nuclear deal broker, Russia, has also criticized the move, saying, "There are and there may be no grounds for undermining the JCPOA. The plan fully proved its efficiency. It effectively copes with all the goals set for it. Iran strictly sticks to its commitments, which is regularly confirmed by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]."
According to Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton, the US hopes that the European Union would return the anti-Iran sanctions after the United States did the same.
