'US may impose sanctions on European firms working with Iran'

Following United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, White House national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday said there is a possibility of secondary sanctions being imposed on the European companies doing business with Iran.

He, however, believes that some European countries will eventually support the United States despite comments from some leaders expressing regret over Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal.

"I think the Europeans will see that's in their interest ultimately to go along with this," Bolton told CNN.

Bolton, however, did not rule out sanctions for European companies doing business with Iran.

"It's possible," he said. "It depends on the conduct of other governments."

Bolton also repeated the administration's objection to the sunset provisions in the Iran deal, which President Donald Trump had called "totally unacceptable", reported CNN.

"I think you have to start first with the fundamental deficiencies of the deal itself," Bolton said. "It would not stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Quite the contrary, it provided cover for Iran to continue its efforts. And if it continued, it would have given Iran extraordinary economic benefits without any guarantees of Iranian performance."

On May 9, President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal which limited the country's uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Calling the accord as an "embarrassment" that was "defective at its core", he also warned of severe consequences if Iran resumes its nuclear programme.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed between six countries in 2015 - Iran, US, Britain, Germany, Russia, France and China for lifting economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations to the country's nuclear programme.