TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that the European Union is expected to send a “strong message” to the Donald Trump administration on the nuclear deal and press Washington to abide by its commitments under the July the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Recently Trump and his UN ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley have toughened their rhetoric on the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). On September 5, Haley laid out a case for Trump to step back from the nuclear deal, arguing that Iran’s technical compliance alone isn’t enough for the U.S. to stick with the pact.

Under the deal, which was struck by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, Iran agreed to slow down its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of financial and economic sanctions. The deal which involves Iran, the European Union, Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council including the U.S. went into effect in January 2016.

“We expect the European Union to fully implement the JCPOA and press the U.S. to be committed to its obligations to the JCPOA and send a strong message to them [the U.S.],” Rouhani said during a meeting with Siegfried Baracke, the president of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium.

Rouhani said that Iran has been committed to its obligations and this has been confirmed repeatedly by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

Therefore, he said, other signatories must comply with the agreement.

Elsewhere, he said that Iran is determined to use the post-JCPOA atmosphere and expand relations with European countries, especially Belgium.

For his part, Bracke said that Belgium seeks to expand relations with Iran.

He also said Brussels attaches great importance to compliance to the JCPOA.

The EU will make any effort to implement its obligations under the international nuclear agreement, he noted.

He also called for expansion of banking ties between Iran and Belgium.

NA/PA