Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is heading to Europe on a whirlwind tour designed to seek funds for Tehran as it continues to oppose the U.S. decision to drop the 2015 nuclear accord.
Austria and Switzerland will be the two main destinations on the trip, with their leaders expecting calls to stand with Iran following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw and reimpose sanctions that would hit international businesses operating in Iran.
Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia have vowed to stay in the flawed agreement, but their companies risk huge penalties if they keep doing business in the Islamic republic.
Iran has already announced it is looking to EU nations to provide funds to help it honour the Obama-brokered nuclear accord.
As Breitbart Jerusalem reported, Rouhani said Europeans must financially compensate Iran if they want to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Rouhani’s website quoted him as saying: “We must not let this great achievement of diplomacy be destroyed by others’ unilateral actions, which are unfaithful to their promises.”
Iran has since warned it is ready to resume uranium enrichment to 20 percent “within days” if the deal falls apart and warned Europe that time was running out.
The visits were announced Monday by the presidencies of both European countries, AFP reports.
Rouhani will visit Switzerland on July 2-3 and then head on July 4 to Vienna — home of the UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord.
Relations between Tehran and Bern, which represents Iran’s interests in the United States, have been deepening in recent years, and Rouhani will be welcomed with full military honours, a statement from the Swiss presidency said.
Vienna played host to marathon talks that began in June 2013 and led to the signing in July 2015 of JCPOA agreement.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
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