A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May has said Britain’s government “regrets” U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on Iran.
“We regret the reimposition of sanctions by the U.S.,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said Monday.
“We continue to believe that the Iran nuclear deal makes the world a safer place and our position remains that as long as Iran continues to meet its obligations under the deal by respecting strict limits on its nuclear activity, we will be committed to it, too.”
“As such, we continue to fully support expanding our trade relationship with Iran and encourage UK businesses to take advantage of commercial opportunities that arise,” the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, the move has been praised by regional neighbour Israel, which the Islamic Republic has said should be “wiped off the face of the earth”, with the United Arab Emirates saying that Iran was “largely responsible” for President Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions because of its “aggressive policies”.
President Trump restored sanctions lifted in 2015 under the Obama administration, hitting shipping, insurance, oil, and the banking sectors in the Islamist regime Monday in order to limit the country’s nuclear work and halt its missile programme.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference that “the full range of actions we’re taking against the Islamic Republic of Iran will have the intended effect of reducing Iran’s capacity to be destabilising and present risk to the Middle East, to Europe, and the world.”
May’s office made the comments following reports that the European Union, critical of the U.S. President’s Middle East strategy, is considering its own sanctions after an alleged assassination plot against an Iranian opposition activist in Denmark by an Iranian suspect with Norwegian citizenship.
This is not the first time Prime Minister May has criticised President Trump and the policies of his administration — despite the President, a known Anglophile, having extended the hand of friendship to the UK several times, notably in terms of offering a free trade agreement post-Brexit.
May has criticised President Trump’s immigration and border policies, backed the EU against the American leader over aluminium and steel tariffs, and condemned his posts on Twitter, resulting in the President telling the Prime Minister: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”
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