U.S sanctions affected American firms, and European ones, even though Europe wanted to stick with JCPOA deal.. ... One key reason Iran signed up to JCPOA was making it extremely difficult for Iranian exporters to get paid. ..…

'The EU's yesterday move was only a small part  of the European states' undertakings with regard to Iran under the nuclear deal (JCPOA); and of course, the fate of this minimum undertaking is still not clear in terms of action,' he continued. . ..…

'The first one was the unilateral withdrawal by the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or the Iranian nuclear deal). ... Iran remained committed to the JCPOA. All other permanent members of the UN Security Council and the EU criticized Washington's decision. ..…