European and Iranian officials attend a meeting on the nuclear deal in Vienna on Friday. AFP
Reuters: Iran pressures Europe to speed up plans to save nuclear deal
VIENNA (Reuters) - Major powers and Iran agreed on Friday to move quickly to offset the U.S. pullout from its nuclear deal and Washington’s renewed sanctions, with Tehran pressuring Europe to come up with a package of economic measures by May 31.
The 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers lifted international sanctions on Tehran. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities, increasing the time it would need to produce an atom bomb if it chose to do so.
Since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States this month, calling the agreement deeply flawed, European states have been scrambling to ensure Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.
But this has proven difficult, with many European firms alarmed at the specter of far-reaching U.S. financial penalties.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: These are the three central demands from Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei .... Iran lists demands for staying in nuclear deal (The Guardian) ....
.... Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei this week said his country would stay in the deal on three strict conditions. He said the EU had to protect Iranian oil sales from US sanctions and continued to buy Iranian oil.
He also demanded European banks safeguard trade with Iran, including by keeping the country inside the Swift international payments system.
Finally, he also urged France, Germany and the UK not to seek a new agreement on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, or its regional activities, including its presence in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Broadly, Russia and China agree with these terms.
My prediction .... the EU cannot even come close to guaranteeing any of these conditions, and this attempt by Iran to blackmail the EU will just play into President Trump's hands.
More News On Iran Giving The EU One Week To Salvage The Nuclear Deal
Iran expects measures to save nuclear deal by end of May -- AFP
Iran gives E.U. deadline to salvage nuclear deal -- NBC
Iran wants European economic package presented by end of May -- Ynet News
Iran seeks guarantees as JCPOA signatories meet to save deal -- Al Jazeera
'Plan B': Tehran Gives European Powers One Week to Salvage Nuclear Deal -- Sputnik
