Iran nuclear deal at risk of collapsing : France, UK, Germany

Paris: Britain, France, and Germany sent a message on Saturday asking Russia to ensure Iran's trade with them. A nearly-completed nuclear agreement could collapse if it refuses to guarantee its trade with Iran.

Talks to re-establish the landmark JCPOA agreement between Iran and the West are nearing completion, which lifted sanctions in return for curbs on the country's nuclear programme, which the West has long viewed as a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

In spite of this, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, asked for sweeping assurances this weekend that sanctions imposed on Moscow for invasion of Ukraine would not affect trade with Iran.

"Nobody should seek to exploit JCPOA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPOA," France, Britain and Germany - the so-called E3 European parties to the 2015 accord - read the joint statement.

"This risks the collapse of the deal," they added.

According to them, the deal on the table should be concluded urgently.

The White House has already said it won't comply with Russia's demands.

As a result of their 11-month-old negotiations, the international community hopes to get Iran back on track to comply with the nuclear deal's sanctions as well as reestablish the nuclear deal that was ended under former President Donald Trump in 2018.

Iran's crude export restrictions could be lifted, allowing markets to compensate for disruptions resulting from the war in Ukraine. Markets are closely watching the progress of the talks.