Even with the support of Britain, France, and Germany, it is expected that Trump will pull out of the deal.
The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany publicly pledged to support the Iran nuclear deal on Sunday, saying it was the best way to keep Tehran from gaining nuclear weapons.
“They committed to continue working closely together and with the U. S. on how to tackle the range of challenges that Iran poses — including those issues that a new deal might cover,” British Prime Minister Theresa May’s office said in a statement obtained by Reuters on Sunday.
May, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly broached the topic of nuclear weapons, ways to broaden the deal and expand the types of weapons covered.
The statement added that during recent phone conversations, they also discussed what will happen when the deal expires and the destabilization of Iran.
The news of support comes as President Donald Trump’s May 12 deadline to decide whether the United States will continue to support the deal nears.
Even with the support of Britain, France, and Germany, it is expected that Trump will pull out of the deal. On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he expects the U. S. to withdraw support unless substantial changes are made to the deal.
“Absent a substantial fix, absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws of the deal, [Trump] is unlikely to stay in that deal past this May,” Pompeo said .
However, the newly-confirmed secretary of state also noted that negotiations are ongoing and a fix could still be established.
« There’s been no decision made, so the team is working, and I’m sure we’ll have lots of conversations to deliver what the president has made clear,” he said.
Within the next month, the U. S. will also have to reach a decision regarding whether it will restore economic sanctions on Tehran.
Kelcey Caulder is a News Fellow at IJR. Previously, she worked with the web team at the Los Angeles Times and led the Student Press Law Center’s campa… more
