WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, May 8, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, May 9, 2018.

US exits Iran deal

The US president has announced Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries. Following his address from the White House, Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum to start reinstating US nuclear sanctions on Iran. This was in defiance of his European allies’ efforts to persuade the American leader to stay in the deal known as the JCPOA. The US Treasury says sanctions related to Iran's energy, auto and financial sectors will be re-imposed at the end of the 90-day and 180-day wind-down periods.

Iran reaction

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has reacted to Washington’s withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal. He says if Iran’s national interests are guaranteed through cooperation among the other signatories, Tehran will stay committed to the JCPOA.

Opposing US decision  

Leaders of the European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal have denounced US President Donald Trump’s decision to walk away from the agreement. In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the decision is “a matter of regret and concern”. The leaders stressed that they would remain committed to the nuclear accord.

Israel Syria attack

Syrian air defenses have shot down two Israeli missiles which were fired toward a military position, south of the capital Damascus. Syrian media say two people were killed in the Kiswah area due to an explosion caused by the interception of the missiles. Over the past years, Israel has frequently attacked targets in Syria. Back in April, Syria said several of its military bases, located in the provinces of Hama and Aleppo, have come under missile fire. Damascus says Israel’s airstrikes help terror groups operate inside the Arab country.

Slamming US JCPOA exit  

Iran’s parliament speaker has warned that the US president is endangering global security by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal. Ali Larijani has called Donald Trump’s dropping out of the deal a diplomatic show that fully demonstrated the US lack of commitment to an international agreement. Larijani says the move has proved that Trump only understands the language of force. The top lawmaker has warned that Iran will resume its nuclear activities if other parties to the deal fail to find a solution within a few weeks. Meanwhile, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has said Trump’s move is evident that the US is not trustable. Major General Mohammad Ali Ja’afari says the US seeks to undermine Iran’s military might and its effective role in the region.

Trump under fire

The US Senate minority leader says the administration of President Donald Trump does not have a plan after he withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. The top Democrat Senator said there are no reports that Iran has violated the deal, known as the JCPOA. Schumer said the US exit from the accord would divide European and Asian allies, and make it harder to forge an agreement ultimately with North Korea over its nuclear program. The Republican Senate majority leader, in turn, said Washington will now be laying out the next steps of implementing a plan while engaging Europe. Meanwhile, US Congressmen also appeared as split in their reaction to the decision.

Tokyo trilateral summit

Leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea have held a summit in Tokyo to discuss developments on the Korean peace talks. The Japanese premier underlined the importance of pursuing all efforts towards complete de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Abe insisted on verifiable and irreversible dismantling of the North's weapons of mass destruction and missiles, in accordance with the UN resolutions. In his opening statement, South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, emphasized the significance of mutual cooperation in order to achieve peace in North-East Asia.

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