Iran official says Europe has 60 days to give nuclear ‘guarantees’

BRUSSELS: European countries have 60 days to provide “guarantees” to safeguard Iran’s interests after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, parliament’s website said quoting an Iranian official.

“The Europeans have between 45 and 60 days to give the necessary guarantees to safeguard Iranian interests and compensate the damages caused by the US pullout,” Icana.ir reported.

The website attributed the remarks to Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as reported by Seyyed Hossein Naghavi, spokesman of parliament’s foreign affairs commission.

According to him, Araghchi told the commission that if Iran does not receive such guarantees European leaders would have to “take the necessary decisions”.

These reported remarks come as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif embarked on a diplomatic tour to try and save the nuclear deal.

Zarif arrived in Beijing on Sunday for the first stop of his tour, ahead of visiting Moscow and Brussels in the coming days.

Iran signed the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

In Beijing on Sunday Zarif said he was hopeful of forging a “clear future design” for the deal to save it from collapse after US President Donald Trump withdrew from it on Tuesday.

“If the nuclear deal is to continue, the interests of the people of Iran must be assured,” Zarif added.