There is an opportunity to build on JCPOA: British FM

The comments come after US President Trump urged Britain to leave Iran’s nuclear deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - struck under his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015 but abandoned by the United States in 2018.

"The time has come for the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China to recognize this reality. They must now break away from the remnants of the Iran deal, or JCPOA. And we must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place,” said Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Dominic Raab, who is in the US for talks with his counterpart Mike Pompeo, said, "We are absolutely committed, as our American and European partners are, to avoiding Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, and we've obviously been committed to the JCPOA.”

“We’ve reached a point where non-compliance has been so acute in the most recent steps taken by Iran that obviously we’re going to be looking very hard at what should happen next,” Raab said.

Urging Iran to "come back to full compliance", the Foreign Secretary said Britain would be "looking at all measures", including triggering the agreement's dispute resolution tool.

"There is an opportunity to build on this deal,” he said, "But ultimately the objective is the most important thing which is to avoid the risk of Iran seeking - let alone acquiring - a nuclear weapon."

MNA/PR