Tehran issues deadline for bypass to US sanctions
Iran is stepping up its pressure on Europe to devise a successful workaround that will provide economic relief from US sanctions.
Iran announced Aug. 5 that it will give Europe one month to rescue it from economically devastating US sanctions before Tehran pulls back further from its commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018, saying Iran was not complying.
French President Emmanuel Macron has attempted to trigger initiatives to preserve the JCPOA. On July 30, the Iranian and French presidents discussed in a 100-minute phone call the possibilities for saving the deal. According to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Macron invited President Hassan Rouhani to attend the G-7 summit Aug. 24 at the coastal resort of Biarritz, France, to meet with US President Donald Trump.
Macron promised that many issues between Tehran and Washington beyond the JCPOA would be solved. Rouhani, however, declined to attend or send a representative, which naturally would have been Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
