EU backs Iran deal, urges US Congress to protect it

BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union foreign ministers are urging the U.S. Congress to safeguard the Iran nuclear agreement after President Donald Trump withdrew his support for the deal.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Luxembourg on Monday that "we hope Congress will not call this agreement into question."

Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders said the agreement concerns "the safety of the world. I hope also that the U.S. Congress will realize this and take the right decisions."

Trump "decertified" the deal Friday and directed Congress to make it more stringent.

Belgium's foreign minister, Didier Reynders, said that walking away would compromise trust in any future negotiations on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

He said: "We must be able to demonstrate that when a nuclear agreement has been concluded that we respect it."