VIENNA: Iran said on Sunday it considered Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker a breach of the ailing 2015 nuclear deal, after the remaining parties to the accord met in Vienna in another attempt to salvage the agreement. Authorities in Britain detained an Iranian tanker off the UK overseas territory of Gibraltar in early July on allegations that it was breaching the European Union (EU) sanctions on Syria. He added that the issue of Iran’s oil exports—including US attempts to prevent them completely—was raised at the meeting. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated since last year when US President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord that was aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, and imposed punishing sanctions on the country. Efforts by European powers, notably France’s President Emmanuel Macron, to salvage the nuclear deal have so far come to nothing.

Source: Mint July 28, 2019 17:15 UTC