Merkel signals no wide-ranging compensation over Iran sanctions

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is signaling it won’t be feasible to offer wide-ranging compensation to European companies affected by US sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump last week withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but European signatories vowed to salvage it. Merkel says Thursday after EU leaders met in Bulgaria that “all European Union member states still stand by this agreement.”

But she is cautious about possible compensation for companies that do business with Iran. She says that “we can see whether we can give small and medium-sized companies certain relief. That is being examined.”

However, Merkel adds: “As for compensating all businesses in a comprehensive way for such measures by the United States of America, I think we cannot and must not create illusions.”

— AP