Europe Warns Trump: Any Move to Scrap Iran Nuke Deal Will 'Send a Dangerous Signal to the World'

With the deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump to decide whether to uphold the terms of the Iran nuclear accord just 24 hours away, three of America's closest European allies--Germany, France, and the United Kingdom--warned on Thursday that any effort to scrap the deal "would send a very dangerous signal to the rest of the world" and hasten the spread of nuclear weapons.

"The deal is working; it is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear program in check and under close surveillance."
--Federica Mogherini, EU foreign affairs chief

"All parties should uphold the deal," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Brussells, where European diplomats held a meeting attended by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. "It is also necessary that our U.S. allies do the same."

The Trump administration is set to announce on Friday whether it will continue to extend the waivers that lifted a number of sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord. Analysts and diplomats have warned that failure to renew the waivers would effectively unravel the deal--a deal that most Americans support--and "bring the United States and Iran back on a path towards war."

Reports indicate that Trump is expected to reluctantly extend the sanctions relief at the behest of his advisers. But, as the Associated Press notes, "Trump could still reject the recommendation of his top security aides."

The Trump administration will also have to decide by Monday whether to recertify Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, which he refused to do last October.

Despite Trump's attempts to discredit the nuclear accord--officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)--as "the worst deal ever," inspectors and diplomats have repeatedly concluded that Iran has complied with the agreement and that it has been extremely effective.

"The deal is working; it is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear program in check and under close surveillance," Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, concluded in a statement on Thursday. "Unity of the international community is essential to preserve a deal that is working, that is making the world safer, and that is preventing a potential nuclear arms race in the region. And we expect all parties to continue to fully implement this agreement."

In addition to international pressure, American lawmakers are also urging Trump to uphold the nuclear agreement. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote in a series of tweets on Thursday that the deal has "blocked Iran's path to a nuclear bomb," and that any attempt to reimpose sanctions would "make it easier for Iran to get its hands on a nuclear weapon."