EU fails to agree new Iran sanctions as Trump deadline on nuclear deal nears

The European Union failed to agree new sanctions against Iran on Monday amid fears that punishing Tehran for its missile program and regional role would not stop US President Donald Trump from abandoning a separate nuclear deal. The ministers hoped holding Iran accountable for this could help convince Trump not to walk away from the nuclear agreement. However, they ran into opposition from Italy, backed by Austria. After EU foreign ministers’ discussions in Luxembourg, some diplomats said the outcome meant the EU might not make Trump’s May 12 deadline to “fix” the 2015 nuclear accord, Reuters reported. The EU is eager to safeguard the pact.