Merkel: sanctions to lead some European companies to pull out of Iran

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin and Beijing, both signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, are standing by the multilateral accord after Washington’s withdrawal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is officially called, "is far from ideal but other options are even less stable," Merkel said during a joint press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

"That is why we will continue to respect this agreement," PressTV cited her as saying.

Merkel further highlighted Beijing’s future role to fill in the trade vacuum after the re-imposition of economic bans against Iran. "Sanctions will likely lead some European companies to pull out of Iran," she added.