Lebanon president says U.S. pullout from Iran deal will hurt Middle East
Reuters
Published Jul 16, 2018 09:00AM ET
Updated Jul 16, 2018 09:10AM ET
Lebanon president says U.S. pullout from Iran deal will hurt Middle East
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Monday the U.S. withdrawal from world powers' 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran would have negative consequences for Middle East stability.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian politician, is a political ally of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah. The United States, which classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, arms and trains Lebanon's army.
"The unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement (in May) will have negative repercussions for security and stability in the region," Aoun wrote on Twitter, his first public comment on the accord.
"Lebanon considered (the deal) a cornerstone for stability in the region, helping make it an area free of weapons of mass destruction," Aoun's office said in a statement summarizing a meeting between him and Iranian foreign ministry official Hossein Jaberi Ansari.
Aoun said he welcomed the commitment of other countries to continue with the deal.
In Lebanon's May parliamentary elections Hezbollah together with groups and individuals that are politically aligned to it won more than half of parliament's seats, boosting the group politically.
Under the 2015 accord, Iran won a lifting of international sanctions in return for verifiable curbs on its disputed uranium enrichment program.
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal in May, calling it deeply flawed, and has reimposed stringent U.S. sanctions, heaping pressure on other signatories including major European allies to follow suit.
European powers have reaffirmed their commitment to the accord and say they will do more to encourage their businesses to stay engaged with Iran, though a number of firms have already said they plan to pull out to avoid U.S. penalties.
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Written By: Reuters
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