Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, has described US President Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw the USA from the historic Iran nuclear deal as utterly reckless. The Iran nuclear deal was agreed between Iran, the USA, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, and China in 2015.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“This historic deal was agreed after two years of detailed negotiations. Attempts to isolate Iran politically and economically from the international community were negative and counterproductive. The 2015 deal on its nuclear capabilities was a victory for dialogue and showed that sanctions and threats were not the way forward.

“Iran has signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and under this treaty it always had a right to enhance and develop nuclear technologies for purely civilian and peaceful purposes.

“In the nearly 3 years since the deal was signed Iran has lived up to all its commitments in the deal, yet the sanctions placed on it by the USA and others were never fully lifted.

“There is no conclusive or convincing evidence to show Iran has violated the deal and it is clearly working. President Trump’s unilateral decision to withdraw from the deal is a reckless and dangerous development.  It is also telling that internationally only Israel, the singular nuclear-armed State in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia, who continues to destabilise the region through its war in Yemen and its support for jihadists, are cheering on President Trump’s decision.

“The Irish Government must clearly distance itself and speak out against President Trump’s reckless actions. It should give strong public support for the Iran nuclear deal.”

ENDS