EU labors to keep nuclear deal alive after new Iran moves

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign ministers are discussing ways to keep the nuclear deal with Iran intact after the Islamic Republic began enrichment work at its Fordo power plant.

Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said Monday that the 2015 pact meant to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is “a great agreement and we need to keep it alive.”

Last Thursday, Iran injected uranium gas into centrifuges at Fordo to produce low-enriched uranium to fuel its nuclear plants. Under the deal, Tehran was not supposed to do this at the site until 2030.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok says “the Iranian stance is indeed very worrying.”

The EU has struggled to stop the nuclear deal from unravelling since President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out last year.