BRUSSELS (AP) – The United States and its partners in the Iran nuclear talks are trying anew to convince European banks and businesses that now-legal trade with the Islamic Republic won’t be punished.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and the European Union’s foreign policy chief said in a joint statement Thursday that Iran deserves the sanctions relief it’s due under last year’s landmark nuclear deal. “This includes the reengagement of European banks and businesses in Iran,” they said after meeting in Brussels.
“We will not stand in the way of permitted business activity with Iran, and we will not stand in the way of international firms or financial institutions’ engaging with Iran, as long as they follow all applicable laws,” the statement said.
Iran has complained that U.S. sanctions that remain on the country are preventing it from receiving the full benefits of the deal under which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The U.S. maintains it has met its obligations, but has been trying to convince foreign firms that some trade with Iran is now legal.
Thursday’s statement was the latest of several attempts by the U.S. to encourage European financial institutions and other firms to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the easing of sanctions. Kerry and other top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, have tried to assure foreign banks that transactions with Iran that do not involve still-sanctioned entities are not illegal under U.S. rules.