European Nations, China Refuse to Sanction Iran for Violating Nuclear Deal

Multiple European diplomats and China said Tuesday they are not moving forward with sanctions on Iran after the country violated the 2015 nuclear deal when it announced Monday that it has amassed an arsenal of nuclear product.

“Not for now. We want to defuse the crisis,” a European diplomat told Reuters when asked if sanctions would be imposed.

French President Emmanuel Macron echoes this disposition towards Iran. He urges the Middle East nation to “reverse” their breach of the deal and he “took note with concern” about their recent actions, according to an AP report.

Macron has not alerted the media of any plans to sanction as a result.

There is a provision in the 2015 deal that states if Iran chooses to defy the agreement, world powers are obligated to re-implement the sanctions that were in place before the deal was finalized. It does not seem as though European diplomats and the Chinese are eager to uphold their end.

China, another signatory to the deal, encouraged those in the nuclear accord to “exercise restraint.” The Communist nation also blames the current conflict on the U.S., saying our policies were “the root cause of the current tensions,” Reuters reports.

Israel on Monday didn’t seem to express a passive attitude towards Iranian aggression. Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu urged Europe to “stand behind their commitments” and issue sanctions as soon as possible.

Iran has made headlines internationally for its disregard towards the deal, but they insist on being in the right. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the decision to stockpile uranium was a response to the U.S. withdrawal in 2018, according to Reuters.

Iran has made it known that they will continue to defy provisions of the 2015 deal one-by-one until the U.S. lifts the sanctions President Trump imposed after Iran downed a U.S. drone. The Middle East nation’s main concerns stem from their oil revenue–which has since been reduced by the Trump administration sanctions, according to a NY Times report.