Rouhani: Action Needed to Save Nuclear Deal
Iran president tells French leader France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China will have to find a way to compensate Iran after Trump withdraws US from pact and reimposes sanctions
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says it will be difficult for Tehran to stay in the 2015 nuclear accord it signed with world powers if it cannot benefit from the agreement. Rouhani told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call Tuesday that the remaining co-signers to the treaty -- France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China -- will have to find a way to compensate Iran after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the United States from the pact and reimpose sanctions. In the landmark agreement, reached during the Obama administration, the world powers had agreed to lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's promise to scale back its nuclear activities. Trump said the deal was flawed because it favored Iran more than the others. His decision to withdraw in May has left France, Germany and Britain scrambling to make sure Iran receives enough financial incentive to stay in the deal. Rouhani's website quoted him as saying: "We must not let this great achievement of diplomacy be destroyed by others' unilateral actions, which are unfaithful to their promises.'' Macron's office said the French leader tried to reassure Rouhani that he and the others remained committed to the deal. "The president informed President Rouhani of the progress in the work being done on our side. He hoped that Iran, for its part, will fulfill its obligations without any ambiguity," it said. French officials have indicated that the rest of the signatories plan to meet soon in Vienna.