EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday that in the wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, the United States “no longer wants to cooperate with other parts in the world.”
In an address to Belgium’s Flemish regional parliament, Juncker said that it was up to the EU to take on the mantle of the United States, AP reported.
Juncker said, “At this point, we have to replace the United States, which as an international actor has lost vigor, and because of it, in the long term, influence.”
In a speech from the White House on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from the nuclear accord.
Following the controversial decision, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran weighs plans to remain in the agreement with the other five parties, namely Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, provided that the remaining JCPOA parties ensure its full benefits for Iran.
In a speech on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged that any decision to keep the deal running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the JCPOA.