European ministers meet with Iran to save nuclear deal

Foreign ministers from Britain, France, and Germany met with their Iranian counterpart Tuesday in the latest bid to save the nuclear deal with Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. support and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic republic. The 2015 agreement gave Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for curbing its nuclear program. The European signatories met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at European Union headquarters in Brussels, noting that the sanctions could hinder European business interests. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Europe remains committed to upholding the deal and called on the United States “to avoid any actions that could prevent the remaining parties to the agreement from meeting their commitments under the deal including delivering sanctions relief through legitimate trade.” Following the meeting, Zarif said Iran and the three European powers are on the right path toward ensuring the interests of the deal’s “remaining participants, particularly Iran, will be preserved and guaranteed.”