Around 500 MPs from France, Germany and the UK have written to their US counterparts urging them to convince Donald Trump not to abandon the multilateral Iran nuclear deal, the lawmakers said in a jointly issued statement on April 19.

The statement published in the Guardian, Der Spiegel, the New York Times and Le Monde, called on the White House to rethink the issue before the “last chance” May 12 deadline set by the US president in January for a decision on whether to end US participation in the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump has demanded Europe comes up with a reshaped JCPOA that will meet his concerns.

“The US government threatens to abandon the JCPOA, although Iran fulfils its obligations under the agreement,” the letter said in a reference to how apart from the US none of the other nuclear deal signatories, which include Europe’s big three, China and Russia, have expressed any serious doubt as to whether Iran is in compliance with the JCPOA. The lawmakers further warn that “an exit from the US would have fatal consequences”.

France, Germany and the UK joined the other signatories and Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in negotiating the landmark deal in late 2015. It took effect in January 2016, lifting crippling sanctions against Tehran in exchange for strict curbs on its nuclear programme, designed to bar any path towards the development of a nuclear weapon.

“The short-term impact of this move [to end US participation in the JCPOA] would put an end to Iran’s nuclear programme controls, which could provide a new source of devastating conflict in the Middle East and beyond,” the MPs’ letter said.

Credibility
Even more worrying were long-term risks such as damage to the credibility of the signatories as partners in international negotiations and more generally to diplomacy as a tool to secure lasting peace and security, it added.

“Leaving the agreement would diminish the value of all the promises and threats our countries make,” the parliamentarians said.

Trump claims Iran has at least breached the spirit of the deal by sowing instability in the Middle East through backing and arming militias in conflict-torn countries including Syria and Yemen. He is also unhappy that Iran’s ballistic missile development programme is not covered by the deal—although the Iranians counter that they are not attempting to develop a missile that can carry a nuclear payload—and is displeased by “sunset” clauses in the JCPOA meaning the restrictions on Tehran expire in 2025.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Trump on April 9 that if he withdraws from the accord he will “surely regret it”. He added: “Our response will be stronger than what they imagine, and they would see that within a week.”

“Intense” discussions
On April 20, US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood said Washington had been having “intense” discussions with its three major European allies ahead of the May 12 deadline. He said Washington wanted to address the Iranian ballistic missile programme, the 10-year “sunset” clauses for limits on nuclear activity and the Iranians’ “destabilising behaviour in the Middle East”, and also toughen inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Iran.

“These issues have to be dealt with. We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached that the president can feel comfortable with,” Wood told a news conference in Geneva, Reuters reported. “We want the IAEA to get access to all the sites they need to. The Iranians obfuscate and deny, say they’ll offer access and then deny it. It’s important for the IAEA to go anywhere it needs to, including military sites,” Wood said.

The campaign for the letter was organised by German Green MP Omid Nouripour, French MP Delphine O of Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche! movement and British Conservative MP Richard Bacon.

Prominent signatories from Germany include Green party leader Annalena Baerbock, leftwing politician Gregor Gysi, FDP parliamentary group vice-president Alexander Graf Lambsdorff and Bundestag vice-presidents Thomas Oppermann (SPD) and Claudia Roth (Green). There were no signatories from the CDU.

Tehran’s “aggression” acknowledged
In an attempt to persuade the White House that a satisfactorily adjusted JCPOA could be proposed and adopted, Berlin, Paris and London have been pushing other EU members to join them in imposing fresh sanctions against Iran. The letter’s signatories do make a point of criticising Tehran’s “aggressive policies” at home and abroad.

However, they add: “As much we share the concerns expressed by many about Iran’s behaviour, we are deeply convinced that these issues must be treated separately… and not within the context of the JCPOA.”

British and French diplomats are exploring whether there is a chance that the current inspection system applied to Iran’s nuclear programme could be extended to Iranian military sites, laboratories and universities.

Italy is as yet unpersuaded by the new sanctions proposed against Iran partly because they worry that Trump will not be persuaded anyway and the fresh sanctions might damage the Italians’ extensive efforts to rebuild trade and investment with Iran.

A delegation of European parliamentarians are to travel to Washington to underline their message.