Boris Johnson warned against Iran nuclear deal

Boris Johnson has been warned that agreeing to a new nuclear deal with Iran only risked “emboldening” Tehran.

Former Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick spoke out after negotiators in Vienna were close to agreeing a deal following the collapse of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Jenrick told The Sunday Telegraph “At a time when the West is finally coming together to tackle one authoritarian regime, we must be very careful about emboldening another.

“The Government should not sign an agreement that removes known terrorists and terror enabling groups like the Iranian National Guard from sanctions and critical anti-terror blacklists. That makes us all less safe.”

Some in the UK and US have expressed fears this agreement will be weaker than its predecessor – and the new deal is fiercely opposed by Israel.

Alan Mendoza, chief executive of think tank the Henry Jackson Society. said support for the deal would be ‘an extraordinary U-turn by the British government’ who ‘just a year ago pledged that sanctions relief would be conditional on Iran ceasing to sponsor terrorism.'”

Following lengthy negotiations a new deal is expected to be announced this week under which US sanctions would be lifted in return for Tehran returning to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear non proliferation deal.

On Saturday, the deal came under last-minute pressure from Russia who demanded written guarantees that Ukraine-related sanctions would not prevent it from trading with Tehran.

Iran has repeatedly attempted to blame what it says is false Israeli intelligence over claims that four sites in Iran are being used for suspicious nuclear activity.

Negotiators for the Iranian regime have attempted to gain assurances that Israeli intelligence will not be used for inspectors to gain access to suspicious sites in the future.

The deal is being discussed by French, German and British representatives, with America also present in Vienna.