The US Government has huge responsibility for the slaughter and outrage which happened yesterday in the Middle East. It is becoming a rogue state which seems to want only to sow discord in the region. Yesterday, the EU ambassador to America, David O'Sullivan, said that in the coming days the European Union will come together to address the sanctions which the US has applied with regard to coming out of its nuclear deal with Iran. It is possible, he said, that we could introduce blocking regulations which would nullify the effect of such sanctions, in the same way we did in the 1990s with US sanctions placed against Cuba. Countries could also give directions to institutes like the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, not to deal in dollars but switch to euro currency transactions.

Given that this approach will be agreed in the next two days, has the Government decided whether we will support such measures to nullify the effects of sanctions? Will we introduce the same blocking regulations applied in the 1990s to send a message to America that what it is doing is fundamentally wrong and it will not be allowed get away with it?

I do not believe the EU approach on the Iranian nuclear deal is about sending the US a message. It is about trying to send Iran a message that the EU and others want to maintain this nuclear deal because we believe it is working. We also believe Iran is complying with its terms. Although the US has taken a different approach, we would like to see that deal remain intact. EU countries are trying to work together to ensure that happens. We support that approach.