UN chief defends Iran deal

UNITED NATIONS, United States: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that any bid to address concerns about Iran should not jeopardize the hard-won nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump demanded changes to the accord, reports AFP.

The United States is concerned the deal, thrashed out over 12 years of talks, does nothing to punish Iran over its ballistic missile programme, interference in regional conflicts or human rights abuses at home.

In a statement, Guterres said “issues not directly related to the JCPOA should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments.”

The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a “major achievement of nuclear non-proliferation and diplomacy, and has contributed to regional and international peace and security,” he said.

Trump on Friday agreed to waive US nuclear-related sanctions but warned it was the “last chance” to fix the Iran deal, demanding that US lawmakers and European allies fix the “disastrous flaws” of the accord. Iran has ruled out any change to the deal, which was signed with the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.

 

UN chief defends Iran deal

UNITED NATIONS, United States: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that any bid to address concerns about Iran should not jeopardize the hard-won nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump demanded changes to the accord, reports AFP. The United States is concerned the deal, thrashed out over 12 years of talks, does nothing to punish Iran over its ballistic missile programme, interference in regional conflicts or human rights abuses at home. In a statement, Guterres said issues not directly related to the JCPOA should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments. The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a major achievement of nuclear non-proliferation and diplomacy, and has contributed to regional and international peace and security, he said. Trump on Friday agreed to waive US nuclear-related sanctions but warned it was the last chance to fix the Iran deal, demanding that US lawmakers and European allies fix the disastrous flaws of the accord. Iran has ruled out any change to the deal, which was signed with the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.