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Merkel defends EU stance on Iran

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending European powers' decision to stand by the Iran nuclear deal, describing it as an "anchor" allowing the West to exert pressure.

 

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Germany, France and Britain of trying to "break" American sanctions on Iran and called on them to follow Washington in pulling out of the nuclear deal.

 

Merkel told the Munich Security Conference Saturday the split over Iran "depresses me very much," but downplayed the substance of the differences.

 

She said: "I see the ballistic missile program, I see Iran in Yemen and above all I see Iran in Syria."

 

But "the only question that stands between us on this issue is, do we help our common cause, our common aim of containing the damaging or difficult development of Iran, by withdrawing from the one remaining agreement? Or do we help it more by keeping the small anchor we have in order maybe to exert pressure in other areas?"

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.16.19, 15:30