Merkel: Germany will stand by the Iranian nuclear deal

Merkel: Germany will stand by the Iranian nuclear deal
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel urged that the Iranian nuclear deal of 2015 should be upheld by the international community for as long as Tehran sticks to the conditions.
2 min read
Germany has urged upholding the Iranian nuclear deal for now [Getty]

The nuclear treaty with Iran should be preserved, said Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, who urged Israel to quickly share the purported new intelligence about Tehran's nuclear program with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Merkel says related issues can be discussed "in addition" to the nuclear accord, citing Tehran's influence in Syria, its ballistic missile program and what happens after parts of the 2015 treaty expire.

President Donald Trump wants to nix the treaty negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama. Israel has also strongly criticised the accord and presented new intelligence this week alleging Iran concealed a nuclear weapons program.

Merkel told reporters on Wednesday that "it's very important the information which came from Israel is made available to the IAEA very quickly so that an examination can take place there."

This comes after an Israeli minister claimed that seizing Iran’s nuclear programme could deter its ability to attack Tel Aviv.

Ministry of Construction Yoav Galant said on Tuesday that, "anyone who saw the intelligence achievement can also understand what our military capabilities are".

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu 'revealed' on Monday that he had proof of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme, giving a presentation live on television allegedly detailing the country's nuclear dossier.

The Israeli leader has promised to hand over intelligence on Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however observers believe that it is unlikely to contain anything new.

The claims come as the White House considers whether to quit a landmark atomic accord with Iran that Israel is opposed to.

Trump has used the Israeli leaders claims, saying that the discovery vindicated his criticism of the deal.

The 2015 agreement saw Iran agree to freeze its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

The US president has been threatening for months to pull out of the deal negotiated between Tehran and six world powers, rejecting it as "insane" and "ridiculous" partly because its restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities begin expiring in 2025.

Trump's decision will need to be made before the 12 May deadline.

"I'm not telling you what I'm doing, but a lot of people think they know," Trump said. "On or before the 12th, we'll make a decision."