Iran's nuclear programme
Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the 2015 Vienna nuclear deal with Iran to be preserved. It should not be abandoned, said the Chancellor. The German government also appreciates that there are still problems with Iran but believes that these should be the subject of separate negotiations.
2 min reading time
The German government absolutely appreciates that there are "still more problems" in relations with Iran. They relate to Iran’s political influence in Syria, its ballistic missile programme and the question as to what is to happen once the deal expires in 2025. These are all matters that need to be discussed too. This is indeed "largely the shared position within the European Union".
Angela Merkel expressed the same sentiments to President Donald Trump during her visit to Washington D.C. on 27 April.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to examine information from Israel
With respect to information that came from Israel on Monday, she said it is "very important that this information is rapidly made available to the International Atomic Energy". The IAEA is responsible for monitoring and inspections in this area and should thus be the one to examine the information.
Unparalleled monitoring system
Earlier in Berlin, federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert stressed that the nuclear deal was concluded in 2015 precisely because of the doubts as to the veracity of the statements made by the Iranian side. At that time the agreement "was fitted out with a deep and robust IAEA monitoring system that was genuinely unprecedented", to ensure that compliance could be monitored.
The Vienna nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was concluded in 2015 by USA, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union and Iran. Under the provisions of the agreement, Iran undertook to renounce any form of research into nuclear weapons until 2025 at the earliest, as well as pledging to permit inspections. In return, the sanctions imposed on Iran are to be gradually lifted.
President Trump’s American government has repeatedly harshly criticised the deal and threatened to withdraw.
On 30 April the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published information according to which the Iranian government is alleged to have intentionally misled the other parties during negotiations.