Germany weighs new sanctions against Iran

BERLIN: Germany is lobbying among European allies to agree new sanctions against Iran in an attempt to prevent US President Donald Trump from terminating an international deal curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.

The report cited diplomats in Brussels as saying that Germany was pushing for new sanctions together with Britain and France to show the United States that European allies were taking Trump’s criticism against Iran seriously.

A German foreign ministry spokeswoman and another government spokesman both declined to comment on the report.

Germany wants to punish Iran for its missile programme and its meddling in conflicts in other Middle East countries, such as the war in Yemen and Syria, the report said.

Above all, the aim of the Europeans is to prevent the United States from terminating the nuclear agreement sealed in 2015, as repeatedly threatened by Trump, Der Spiegel reported.

Iran said last week it would retaliate against new sanctions imposed by Washington after Trump set an ultimatum to fix "disastrous flaws" in a deal curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Trump has said he would waive nuclear sanctions on Iran for the last time to give the United States and European allies a final chance to amend the pact.

Washington also imposed sanctions on the head of Iran’s judiciary and others.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday ruled out the possibility of salvaging the Iranian nuclear deal if President Donald Trump decides to pull the United States out of the agreement.

"This agreement cannot be implemented if one of the participants unilaterally steps out of it," Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations.

"It will fall apart and there will be no deal then," he said, adding: "I think everyone understands that."

Trump last week agreed to again waive US nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, but demanded that US lawmakers and European allies fix the "disastrous flaws" in the deal or face a US exit. "This is a decisive moment," Lavrov said.

Russia and the United States are among the six world powers that signed the 2015 landmark deal with Iran that aims to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.

Lavrov made clear that there would be no attempt by Russia to salvage it with the five remaining powers, if the United States pulls out.

Russia will make every effort to persuade the United States "not to touch this thing," said Lavrov, saying that the deal was "not dead yet."

The foreign minister again made the argument that killing off the Iran nuclear deal would also compromise any bid to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear arsenal.

If the Iranian nuclear deal is not upheld, "how can we ask North Korea to use the same option" and abandon its nuclear ambitions, asked Lavrov.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council this week that it was in the world’s interest that the nuclear agreement "be preserved."