Norway’s formal stance of the Iran nuclear deal is clear: “A world without nuclear weapons cannot be achieved without a credible and robust non-proliferation regime. We must preserve JCPOA.” – April 24, 2018.
With U.S. President Donald Trump retreating yesterday from the nuclear deal known as JCPOA: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; the plan’s survival is tenacious at best.
The Iran nuclear agreement came to fore in January, 2016, and saw Iran agreeing to limit segments of its peaceful nuclear agenda in return for removal of nuclear-related sanctions placed against its country.
“ROTTEN” DEAL
President Donald Trump said of his decision to withdraw; “It’s clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement. The Iran deal is defective at its core.If we do nothing we know exactly what will happen.”
Within an informal tweet from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Eriksen Søreide (H) posts regret at hearing of the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and also posts of her concern of the consequences of the U.S. decision.
Minister Søreide also encouraged Iran & others to remain in the agreement.
MAKING A MISTAKE
At a meeting April 19th in Oslo with Norwegian Foreign Minister Søreide, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said that “thinking that Iran will remain committed to the nuclear deal under any circumstance is a mistake.”
In that meeting just a fortnight ago, the Norwegian foreign minister attached great importance to the bilateral ties between Iran and Norway and asserted,“Norway supports the continuation and implementation of JCPOA strongly.There’s no better option than JCPOA and to keep this agreement alive, it’s necessary to spare no efforts.”
UNPLEASANT ANSWER
In New York, April 26th, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif Khonsari gave comment upon an American withdrawal from the deal,saying “The U.S. will definitely see a response from Iran and the international community if it decides to leave JCPOA. And it won’t be a pleasant response for them.”
Minister Zarif also said the U.S. has failed to implement its side of the deal and is asking for more than what had been agreed to in the first place, and that Tehran has a variety of options that will make the United States “regret” leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
NUCLEAR SANCTIONS
In a statement at the White House on May 8, 2018, President Trump said,”I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime.’ –
“We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons can be sanctioned by the United States,” – said President Trump.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
