Tillerson Meets European Counterparts on Iran

Date: 27 January 2018 - 21:53

News ID: ۴۹۳۹۳

WARSAW (Dispatches) -- American, British, French and German officials met this week to begin formal discussions on addressing U.S. concerns about the Iran nuclear deal, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday.
"President Trump’s been quite clear on his view that that agreement had a number of flaws and he intends to have those flaws addressed,” Tillerson said. "What we have agreed to do is work with our European counterparts...and ultimately the EU to identify what areas we believe have to be addressed and the mechanism by which we can address those.”
Tillerson earlier this week said working groups would meet as early as next week to discuss the deal, but a person briefed on the meeting said Brian Hook, Tillerson’s close aide and the State Department’s policy planning director, met with European officials to begin the formal talks in London while Tillerson was in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.
The U.S. chief diplomat said Washington envisions an effort in which Iranian officials will ultimately take part. Iranian officials have said they won’t participate in any efforts to change the 2015 landmark accord, in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
"Working groups have already begun meeting on the effort to agree principles, what is the scope of what we will intend to address and also how might we engage the Iranians on discussions to address these issues,” Tillerson said Saturday in Warsaw, after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister  Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz.
Before departing for Washington, Tillerson also met with Law and Justice Party Leader Jarloslaw Kaczynski. Kaczynski holds an ordinary seat in Parliament but as head of the Law and Justice party, he is widely considered Poland’s behind-the-scenes ruler.
On Iran, Tillerson said the Trump administration’s Iran policy was broader than addressing its concerns with the nuclear accord.
"The U.S. has greater concerns and more immediate concerns about regarding Iran’s malign behavior throughout the region,” Tillerson said.
He accused Iran of supporting Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, arming regional militias and destabilizing Syria and Iraq. Tillerson said the U.S. would also be looking to work with Europe to address these issues.
"The work is under way, if it was easy it would have already been done,” he said.