Iran Nuclear Deal Should Be Kept: TehranTimes

Iran’s government censors its media, but cannot totally mask public desire for restraint in relations with the West. US President Donald Trump withdrew from an international agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, on limiting Iran’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for an end to sanctions. Amid tensions with the United States starting in 2020, Iran withdrew from the agreement on January 5. Still, Tehran Times reports on a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who urge that the 2015 agreement continue, reports Tehran Times. “Putin further expressed hope that a special-purpose vehicle called INSTEX, created to facilitate trade with Iran and circumvent U.S. sanctions, would soon ‘be up and running’ and that European nations ‘would deliver on their promise to create an independent mechanism free of the dollar influence,’” the article reports. “Europeans’ efforts to protect trade with Iran against the U.S. sanctions have yielded nothing concrete so far.” As a result, Iran has stepped back commitments before suspending all JCPOA limits on January 5. – YaleGlobal