EU will stand by Iran nuclear deal: Mogherini

Europe will stand by the international nuclear accord with Iran, EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a live press statement in Rome on Tuesday in response to American President Donald Trump's announcement that the US is withdrawing from the deal.

"The EU is determined to preserve it," she said. "We expect the rest of the international community to continue to preserve it, for the sake of collective security."

"The nuclear accord belongs to the whole of the international community," Mogherini added. "To the Iranian people I say: do not let anyone dismantle this deal, one of the greatest achievements of the international community."

"I am particularly worried about tonight's announcement of further sanctions," she said, adding that the deal with Iran "is the culmination of 12 years of diplomacy."

The international agreement, which limited the Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, was negotiated under former US President Barack Obama in 2015.

Trump, who promised to dismantle the deal during his 2016 electoral campaign, claims that Iran has continued to enrich uranium for military purposes.

--IANS

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