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UK PM says 'Trump deal' could replace Iran nuclear pact
By Alice RITCHIE
London (AFP) Jan 14, 2020

Unravelling of the Iran nuclear deal
Tehran (AFP) Jan 14, 2020 - European signatories to the 2015 deal to limit Iran's military nuclear development launched a dispute mechanism on Tuesday after Iran progressively rolled back its commitments after the United States quit.

Here is a timeline since Washington pulled out in May 2018:

- US pullout -

On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump withdraws the United States from the accord and announces the reimposition of sanctions against Iran and companies with ties to it.

"We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement," he says.

Iran has always denied its nuclear programme has any military dimension.

Tehran urges the remaining parties -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- to salvage the deal.

- US sanctions -

On August 7, Washington imposes sanctions targeting access to US banknotes and key industries such as cars and carpets.

New sanctions on November 5 hit Iran's vital oil sector and central bank transactions.

Major international firms halt their activities or projects in Iran.

In May 2019 Washington ends its sanctions exemptions on eight countries buying Iranian crude.

- Iran starts walk-back -

Iran on May 8 announces its first step back from the deal, saying it will suspend commitments on limiting the amount of heavy water and enriched uranium it possesses.

Trump announces new measures against its steel and mining sectors.

On July 1, Iran says it has exceeded the limit on its enriched uranium reserves.

Six days later, it confirms it has also breached the accord's uranium enrichment cap.

- 'Highest sanctions' -

On September 4, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lifts all limits on nuclear research and development.

Tensions soar after a wave of aerial attacks on September 14 on two major Saudi oil facilities, blamed on Tehran. It denies involvement.

On September 20, Trump announces new sanctions on Iran's central bank.

- Iran takes more steps -

On September 26, the IAEA nuclear watchdog says Iran has started using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium.

On November 4, Tehran says its enrichment increased more than tenfold, and announces it has developed two new advanced centrifuges.

On November 7, Iran resumes uranium enrichment at its underground Fordo plant -- its fourth walkback.

On the 18th, it says Iranian heavy water reserves have passed the accord's limit.

On December 5, Britain, France and Germany accuse Iran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismisses the charge.

- Brink of war -

Tensions between Washington and Tehran spiral after a US drone strike on January 3, 2020 kills top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, sparking a tit-for-tat confrontation in which Iran fires missiles at two US bases in Iraq.

A Ukrainian plane is then brought down "unintentionally" by an Iranian missile on January 8, killing all 176 on board.

On January 5, Iran announced its fifth step back, saying it will forgo a "limit on the number of centrifuges".

- Dispute mechanism launched -

On January 14, the deal's European signatories say they are launching its dispute mechanism, after accusing Iran of repeated violations. They insist they are committed to the agreement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he would be willing to work on a replacement deal forged by Trump.

Britain emphasised its commitment to the Iranian nuclear deal on Tuesday even as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would favour replacing it with an accord that Washington could support.

Johnson's proposal for a "Trump deal" came just hours before Britain, France and Germany triggered a dispute mechanism against Iran for violating the 2015 accord.

"If we are going to get rid of it (the nuclear deal), let's replace it and let's replace it with the Trump deal," the prime minister told BBC television in an interview.

"I think that would be a great way forward," he said, without giving further details on this would entail.

European powers have been trying to salvage the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following the 2018 decision by President Donald Trump to pull the United States out.

But Tehran has wound down its compliance since then, prompting the three European parties to the deal to trigger a provision intended to hold Iran to account.

Britain, France and Germany all emphasised that despite this action, they remained committed to the agreement.

- 'Broader deal' -

Answering an emergency question in the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denied Johnson's remarks represented a policy shift, as critics jumped on the apparent discrepancy.

Raab told MPs that the whole government -- including the prime minister -- still believed the 2015 agreement was the best solution, saying: "We want Iran to come back into full compliance."

But he noted that Britain, the US and European powers had discussed at the G7 summit in Biarritz last year the possibility of a "broader deal" that had Washington's support.

"It's not just President Trump but also President Macron (of France) who have argued for a broader deal with Iran," he said.

He said this would address some of the defects in the JCPOA, "which is not a perfect deal", and wider concerns "about Iran's broader destabilising activities in the region".

"The US and our European partners want us to be ambitious in our diplomatic approach with Iran and that is something I fully subscribe to," Raab said.

Trump last week called on signatories to the JCPOA to withdraw from the agreement, and Johnson said he understood Washington's concerns.

"From the American perspective it's a flawed agreement, it expires, plus it was negotiated by (former) President Obama," the premier said.

"President Trump is a great deal-maker -- by his own account and many others. Let's work together to replace the JCPOA and get the Trump deal instead."

Britain's smaller opposition Liberal Democrats said Johnson's support for Trump undermined the existing deal and urged the prime minister to remind the US president of the high stakes.

"The UK is best served by working with our allies in Europe and the wider world to reinvigorate the Iran nuclear deal as a means to de-escalate the current crisis," acting leader Ed Davey said.

"The prime minister is sending a clear message to Donald Trump: your wish is my command."


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NUKEWARS
Iran nuclear deal's double-edged dispute resolution mechanism
Vienna (AFP) Jan 14, 2020
Britain, France and Germany have said they are triggering a dispute resolution mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal following Tehran's announcement last week that it was further rolling back its commitments under the landmark agreement. The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), curbed Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief but has been progressively weakened since the US withdrew from it in 2018. That withdrawal left the remaining signatories - ... read more

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