British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson undermines Mike Pompeo’s ‘jumbo’ Iran deal: Very, very difficult!

Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir (L) speaks with his Japanese counterpart Tara Kono, United States Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan (L second raw) and British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson after posing for a family photo at Palacio San Martin during the G20 foreign ministers' meeting on May 21 , 2018 in Buenos Aires. (Photo by AFP)

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has questioned the practicality of the tough conditions set by the US for a new “jumbo” Iran deal after the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the multi-national Iran nuclear deal.

Johnson made the statement among journalists in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday.

He was reacting to a 12-point list of demands formulated by his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, earlier in the day.

Johnson (pictured above) referred to anti-Iran allegations by some Western countries, suggesting that they could not be incorporated into one single agreement.

“The prospect of a new jumbo Iran treaty is going to be very, very difficult,” Johnson said, according to the Guardian. “I think if you try now to fold all those issues – the ballistic missiles, Iran’s misbehavior, Iran’s disruptive activity in the region and the nuclear question — if you try to fold all those in to a giant negotiation, a new jumbo Iran negotiation, a new treaty — that’s what seems to be envisaged — I don’t see that being very easy to achieve, in anything like a reasonable timetable.”

Pompeo, formerly serving as the CIA chief, had also threatened to impose “the strongest sanctions in history” on Tehran if it does not comply with the new demands.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Heritage Foundation May 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP) 

Johnson lashed out against the new plans, reiterating that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a good deal as it assures the international community that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons.

“The advantage of the JCPOA was that it had a very clear objective. It protected the world from an Iranian nuclear bomb, and in return it gave the Iranians some recognizable economic benefits. That was at the core of it. The Americans have walked away from that,” he said.

Iran has repeatedly emphasized that its missile program is merely defensive and deterrent, thus non-negotiable.