TEHRAN (ECOIDEAL)- US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Washington could sanction European companies that continue to trade with Tehran following the Donald Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal.
Bolton made the remarks during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union Sunday.
Asked if Trump would hit the EU with sanctions for continuing to deal with Iran, Bolton stated that ”It's possible. It depends on the conduct of other governments”.
“The rationale for getting out of the deal is it was contrary to American national security interests when we got into it and it hadn't gotten any better with age,” he added.
Bolton suggested that US sanctions could put pressure on the EU to pull out of the agreement as well.
"I think the Europeans will see that it's in their interest ultimately to come along with us… I think that will sink in, and we'll see what happens then,” he stressed.
The US President announced Tuesday his decision to withdraw Washington from Iran’s nuclear deal with the world powers and re-impose sanctions against Tehran, while leaders of Iran, Germany, France, Britain, Russia, China as well as the European Union and the United Nations have condemned the move by the United States, calling for the deal to be kept in place.
Britain, France and Germany have for weeks been campaigning to keep the deal alive and have been negotiating since January with Washington to find ways to convince the US President to keep to the accord. London, Paris and Perlin have also issued a joint statement attacking the US President's withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal, urging Washington not to take steps that would make life harder for other countries that still want to stick to the agreement.
Under the deal signed in Vienna with six world powers – the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union – Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment program and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons. Tehran has on numerous occasions asserted that its nuclear program is merely peaceful and not meant to make nukes. In exchange, international sanctions were lifted, allowing it to sell its oil and gas worldwide. United Nations inspectors have repeatedly confirmed Tehran's compliance with the deal.
Source: Farsnews