EU needs payment systems independent of US to save Iran deal – German FM

Europe needs to set up payment systems independent of the US if it wants to save the Iran nuclear deal that was abandoned by President Donald Trump, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. “That’s why it is indispensable that we strengthen European autonomy by creating payment channels that are independent of the US, a European Monetary Fund and an independent SWIFT system,” Mass wrote in the Handelsblatt business daily. “Every day the deal is alive is better than the highly explosive crisis that would otherwise threaten the Middle East,” he said in the article to be published on Wednesday, Reuters said.