Tasnim � The United States on Tuesday welcomed a push by some EU states to impose new sanctions on Iran.


Speaking in London at the start of a tour of European signatories to that deal, Sigal Mandelker, US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said sanctions were an important part of a comprehensive effort to �counter Iran in the region�.

�We understand that the EU, it�s been reported in the press, is considering new Iran-related sanctions. This is a good and important step that we support,� she told reporters before meetings with British officials, Reuters reported.

Last month, France, Britain and Germany sought EU support for approval of new sanctions, but have struggled to persuade other member states to back them. Mandelker will visit Berlin and Paris during her three-day tour.

�We say any company thinking about doing business in Iran or with Iranian companies face serious risks that they will be doing business with those, like the IRGC, supporting terrorism and instability throughout the world,� she claimed.

US President Donald Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to "fix" his predecessor Barack Obama's main foreign policy achievement, namley the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or face a US exit.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) reached the 159-page nuclear agreement in July 2015 and implemented it in January 2016.

Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna, the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed Iran�s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.