The European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal are seeking ways to soften the bite of US sanctions on companies doing business in the Islamic Republic, David O’Sullivan, the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, said at the Atlantic Council on May 14.

Though upset by US President Donald J. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal, the European signatories are committed to the agreement. “The European Union (EU) will maintain its commitment to the nuclear deal, as long as Iran does the same,” said O’Sullivan. “We Europeans believe that we are bound by our commitment if we want Iran to stay in the deal,” he added. 

O’Sullivan delivered a rousing endorsement of the deal and expressed his profound dismay at Trump’s May 8 decision to withdraw from it. 

“This was never where we hoped we would be,” O’Sullivan said, “with a heavy heart.” However, he added, “maybe we shouldn’t be entirely surprised, but that doesn’t stop me from expressing my extreme disappointment and regret with where we now are.”

Read the entire recap over at the New Atlanticist.

Image: Ambassador of the European Union to the United States David O'Sullivan delivered a keynote address on the implications of Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal at the Atlantic Council on May 14. (Atlantic Council)