The Iran-US stand-off on the nuclear deal is understandably making neighbours and other countries nervous. Iraq's top diplomat called on Iran to respect the landmark deal covering its nuclear programme.
also read
The deal has currently been weakened after US' decision to withdraw from it. Tehran has retaliated by saying that it would stockpile its uranium close to weapon grade levels unless Europe and others part of the deal like Russia and China don't offer relief to sanctions imposed by US.
“We encourage the Iranian government to stick to the JCPOA and stick to the spirit of the agreement and continue with it,”said Iraq's Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim in Oslo during a press briefing at a conference on combating sexual violence in humanitarian crises. The already strained relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated in recent weeks.
Tensions flared further when US deployed F-52 bombers to an air base in Qatar, citing non-speciifc threats from Iran. Yesterday, German diplomat Jens Ploetner went to Tehran to meet Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to urge Iran to respect the nuclear accord.
“The last thing we need is another conflict in the area. We've already had a lot of conflicts in the area,” al-Hakim said Friday. “I don't think anybody wants $200 per barrel of oil coming soon,” he added.
Under the terms of the JCPOA deal, the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, will conduct regular inspections of declared facilities in Iran such as uranium mines and centrifuge workshops for up to 25 years.
