Germany, France, UK, Italy ready to lift Iran sanctions after pact

Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy have signaled their willingness to lift sanctions on Iran, contingent upon clear and verifiable actions by Tehran concerning its nuclear program. This stance follows an announcement of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

The four European powers declared, "We are ready to lift the relevant sanctions in response to clear and verifiable measures by Iran concerning its nuclear program." They expressed readiness to collaborate with the United States, Iran, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to achieve this goal, underscoring that Iran "must never acquire a nuclear weapon."

For Berlin, Paris, London, and Rome, it is "vital that detailed negotiations conclude and that this agreement is implemented quickly and comprehensively. We are prepared to support this effort," they stated in a joint declaration. This comes just hours before a G7 summit in Évian, France, where the Middle East conflict is a prominent agenda item.

Furthermore, they highlighted the "urgent" need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring "unconditional and unrestricted" freedom of navigation, deeming it "essential" for regional security and stability. They offered to contribute to this objective, potentially through a "strictly defensive and independent" mission to protect commercial maritime transport and conduct demining operations. The nations described this as a "crucial" moment for restoring regional stability and contributing to the stabilization of the global economy.