IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Iran

Europeans open new trade channel

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have opened a new channel for nondollar trade with Iran to avert US sanctions, although diplomats said it is unlikely to allow for the big transactions that Teheran says it needs to keep a nuclear deal afloat. Washington's major European allies opposed last year's decision by US President Donald Trump to abandon a landmark 2015 deal, under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for Iran accepting curbs on its nuclear program. Iran has threatened to pull out of the deal unless the Europeans enable it to receive economic benefits. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran.