UK’s Boris Johnson says ‘Trump deal’ should replace Obama’s Iran deal

“President Trump is a great dealmaker by his own account, and by many others,” the British premier told the BBC.

By World Israel News Staff 

As he calls for working to ease tensions in the Iran crisis, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to cooperate with Britain’s allies, led by the U.S., to formulate a new pact that would replace the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

That deal was reached between Tehran and six world powers: the U.S. under President Barack Obama, the UK, Russia, France, Germany, and China.

In May 2018, President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal. Washington imposed sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian leaders have sought help from European states to salvage the nuclear deal, which was said to be aimed at keeping Tehran from attaining a nuclear weapon in exchange for easing the economic sanctions.

The U.S. and Israel have complained that the deal lasts only for a number of years, does not sufficiently include inspections of Iranian nuclear-related sites and operations, and does not address Tehran’s destabilizing military activity in the region and the world.

Iran has accused Europe of not coming to its assistance. In response, Tehran has been stepping up its uranium enrichment in violation of the nuclear deal, tensions have erupted at sea, Iran shot down a U.S. drone, pro-Iranian terrorists stormed the American Embassy in Baghdad, and the U.S. carried out a precision airstrike in Iraq, killing leading Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

“Let’s replace it and let’s replace it with the Trump deal,” the British prime minister told the BBC in reference to the nuclear accord.

“From the American perspective, it’s a flawed deal,” said Johnson.

“President Trump is a great dealmaker by his own account, and by many others,” he added in the BBC interview which aired on Tuesday.

The British broadcaster reports that it did not appear that Johnson was suggesting to scrap the 2015 accord, just that he wants to alter the deal in a way that would bring the U.S. back into it.

The prime minister said that Iran is “an amazing country” but that its people “are captive” to the regime.