Iran Nuclear Deal Must Be Preserved

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that Iran’s nuclear agreement must be preserved, his spokesman said on Thursday. The secretary-general believes that the Iran nuclear deal is “very important and it should be maintained”, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing, AP reported. But he added, “We must build on this important achievement to preserve the non-proliferation regime, which is a cornerstone of our global security.” Guterres met with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday to discuss the landmark 2015 deal that calls for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement was endorsed in a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council. During an interview with AP on Tuesday, Zarif said Iran will most likely abandon the 2015 nuclear deal should the United States choose to withdraw from the multilateral agreement. “If the United States were to withdraw from the nuclear deal, the immediate consequence in all likelihood will be that Iran will reciprocate and withdraw,” Zarif said. “There won’t be any deal for Iran to stay in.”