US
National Security Advisor John Bolton has said the US could sanction
European companies that continue to trade with Iran following the
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 said: ”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.”
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
said.
Trump
announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear agreement on
May 8, almost three years after the deal, formally called the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was agreed.The US president
also confirmed the US would re-impose sanctions against Iran -
decisions that broke from European allies and put the Middle East at
risk of a potential crisis.
Iran
heavily criticized Trump’s decision, claiming that the US never
kept to its international obligations under the deal. Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani described the White House move as
“psychological warfare,” adding that it was a war the US would
not win.
France,
Germany and the UK issued a joint statement expressing regret over
the US decision and reiterating their continuing commitment to the
deal.
Meanwhile
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday that he is
optimistic a new Iran deal can be negotiated with European allies,
saying: “I am hopeful in the days and weeks ahead we can come up
with a deal that really works, that really protects the world from
Iranian bad behavior.”
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