Jan 14, 2020 - World

European leaders trigger dispute action in Iran deal

Jacob Knutson

Boris Johnson, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron in August. Photo: Andrew Parsons/Pool/Getty Images

The leaders of the U.K., Germany and France said in a Tuesday letter that they are triggering a "dispute mechanism" in the Iran nuclear agreement in response to Tehran’s attempts to undo parts of the deal, the AP reports.

Why it matters: The action could lead to the restoration of European sanctions on Iran that were rolled back in 2015.

What they're saying: The countries said they’ve been "left with no choice, given Iran’s actions, but to register today our concerns that Iran is not meeting its commitments."

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the three European countries "could no longer leave the growing Iranian violations of the nuclear agreement unanswered. Our goal is clear: we want to preserve the accord and come to a diplomatic solution within the agreement."

Context: After the U.S. killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike, Iran said that it would no longer respect limits in the agreement on how many centrifuges it can use to enrich uranium.

What's next: Under the deal, ministers now have two weeks to resolve disputes. The period can be extended if all sides agree.

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