Pakistan says US pullout from Iran deal would hurt efforts to resolve matter
US decision would lead to weakening of confidence on diplomacy and dialogue process, says a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Office
May 09, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday said that United States' withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal would hurt efforts to resolve the matter, according to a spokesman for its Foreign Office.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the US withdrawal from what he called the "defective" multinational nuclear deal with Iran, and said Washington would reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Trump called Tehran the world's leading state sponsor of terror, and decried its influence in the Middle East.
The decision by the United States would lead to weakening of confidence on diplomacy and the dialogue process, the Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement Wednesday. Despite US pullout, other parties are agreed to abide by the agreement.
The spokesman stated that Pakistan had welcomed the deal between Iran and world powers, and it is hoped that the all the parties would find out a way for its implementation.
He noted that that the International Atomic Energy Agency had also expressed its satisfaction over the deal.
President Hassan Rouhani termed Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear deal an act of "psychological warfare" against Iran. He said that he wished to discuss the decision with the European, Russian and Chinese parties to the 2015 deal.
The Iranian president appeared on the state broadcaster just minutes after Trump announced the historic decision to withdraw the United States from the agreement.
Rouhani has stated in recent days that he hopes to salvage the deal as much as possible with the help of the other parties — Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the European Union — who have strongly opposed Washington's decision to pull out.
China regretted the decision saying that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a multilateral agreement reached by the P5+1, the European Union and Iran through negotiations, and endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said that ensuring the integrity and sanctity of the JCPOA is conducive to upholding the international non-proliferation regime and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.
“All relevant parties should step up dialogue and coordination, properly handle differences and continue fulfilling their obligations in a faithful manner,” he added.
