British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made the statement among journalists in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday.
Johnson was reacting to a 12-point list of demands formulated by his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, earlier in the day.
British Foreign Secretary referred to anti-Iran allegations by some Western countries, suggesting that they could not be incorporated into one single agreement.
“The prospect of a new jumbo Iran treaty is going to be very, very difficult,” Johnson said.
“I think if you try now to fold all those issues – if you try to fold all those in to a giant negotiation, a new jumbo Iran negotiation, a new treaty — that’s what seems to be envisaged — I don’t see that being very easy to achieve, in anything like a reasonable timetable”, British Foreign Secretary.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, formerly serving as the CIA chief, had also threatened to impose “the strongest sanctions in history” on Tehran if it does not comply with the new demands.
Johnson lashed out against the new plans, reiterating that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a good deal as it assures the international community that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons.
“The advantage of the JCPOA was that it had a very clear objective. It protected the world from an Iranian nuclear bomb, and in return it gave the Iranians some recognizable economic benefits. That was at the core of it. The Americans have walked away from that,” Johnson said.
Iran says it will stay in the agreement as long as the EU provides solid guarantees that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA) will continue to serve Iran’s economic interests.
EU says it is trying to identify ways to shield European companies doing business with Iran from the blacklash of US renewed sanctions.
