We will stand by Iran deal, says EU foreign affairs chief

Federica Mogherini defends the pact Donald Trump called ‘one of the worst deals ever made.’

The EU’s foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini on Monday said the bloc will stick with the Iran nuclear pact on security grounds, AFP reported.

The deal, agreed by Iran, the U.S., U.K., France, China, Russia, Germany and the EU in 2015, “is proof that diplomacy works and delivers,” Mogherini said on her way in to an EU foreign affairs ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

“The European Union will continue to work for the respect and implementation of this extremely important deal, most of all for our security,” Mogherini said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the West eased economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for nuclear curbs.

The comments stood in stark contrast to those made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who told the Times in an interview published Sunday that he opposed the pact.

“Well I don’t want to say what I’m gonna do with the Iran deal,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with the Iran deal, I think it’s one of the worst deals ever made.”