Donald Trump Thought Pulling Out of the Iran Deal Would End It, But France, Britain and Germany Have Other Plans

Last week, Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "defective to the core."

Many saw it as a direct insult to our European allies, as the latest Der Spiegel cover illustrated:

But if President Trump thought the move would blow up the deal, European leaders seem to be saying, "not so fast."

On Tuesday, foreign ministers from the U.K., France and Germany met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to see how they could continue the agreement, to which they had all been original signatories.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

“The U.K. and our European partners continue to view the nuclear deal as vital for our shared security, and remain fully committed to upholding it.”

“We will look at potential options for supporting continued sanctions relief for Iran to ensure we meet our commitments under the deal, as well as calling on Iran to continue to abide by the restrictions the deal places upon their nuclear program."

Zarif held an hour-long meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini about the deal and expressed optimism, saying talks were “on the right track" when it comes to ensuring that the elements of the deal for the “remaining participants, particularly Iran, will be preserved and guaranteed.”

Many on Twitter supported the move.