none of the european countries wants to see what we're witnessing is the us isolating itself completely and that of course is probably the most grievous and grave example of trumps a unilateral make america first in this that i think we've seen since he's been in office you know it's very good point and it leaves european powers trying to react the best way they can i want you to listen to what the german foreign minister said today about the iran nuclear deal. position is and remains we want to preserve the agreements in particular to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. we do not need an escalation in the region the point now is that all steps must be avoided that could endanger regional stability and security if you are current you melinda we've heard those lines before what can germany or the european union for that matter do differently now to save this deal. well first of

all to maintain a very clear had to stay the course to stand by their position that this agreement is better than no agreement the european countries the european partners to the agreement have said all along that it is keeping iran at the moment contained in the sense that iran has not continued to pursue a nuclear weapon and in that sense the agreement is working so the first thing to note is that this isn't only about europe we heard very clear pronouncements today as well from russia and from china so one of the interesting side effects of the u.s. action is to essentially solidify agreement amongst those five another. breach essentially in that transatlantic bond so the question is how can the european countries now work together with russia and china to ensure that trade with iran

does continue because essentially that is the only incentive that will keep iran in this agreement now and now the european allies had taken steps in that direction but they're limited so far the question is can they expand or expedite for example their system of trying to ensure a back channels for payments that would not involve transactions flowing through the u.s. and thereby becoming susceptible either to the u.s. . sanctions or to some form of the u.s. . taking. the money that flows through the u.s. system that is very complicated and very difficult but that's where the european countries need to be going now together with china and russia yet at the same time we have the arabian president today very critical of europe accusing it of not doing enough to save this deal accusing it of not cleaning up the mess that the u.s. has created is that they fear assessment. not entirely the fact that

france germany and the u.k. actually took measures in february to set up a separate payment system that would bypass the u.s. that's quite a fascinating move in itself and quite a drastic one now as i said the question will be can they expand that at the moment this in sticks payment system is only limited to certain humanitarian goods could they possibly expand it in order to cover more of the trade with iran it will be very very difficult indeed most companies in the world it's the companies that do the trading do not want to risk losing their hold in the u.s. market nonetheless that is the direction that one would need to go in now in order to keep iran in the deal and you've already intimated visible john you know what does this mean for the future of transit where they toss and in there what about the prospects of a military conflict erupting between the u.s. and iran it absolutely looks like that is where the u.s.

is not unwilling to go the fact that they have now sent an aircraft carrier to the region the fact that secretary of state from peo flew to iraq to talk about iranian threats which the u.s. has yet to show evidence for but to talk about that rather than to be the chancellor jester day of his planned all of this indicates i think there is a certain drumbeat of militarism that we're seeing but we're a long way off from that and let us hope that something that now occurs in this dynamic of how the european countries work together can possibly keep that option at bay you know it's a very good point argy political correspondent melinda gray as always linda thank you. south africans went to the polls today just as they did twenty five years ago when the country held its first post apartheid election memories of that first free election

and memories of the broken promises that followed or they've haunted politicians and unnerved voters today president cyril ramaphosa and his ruling a.n.c. party have watched their approval ratings plummet the party is struggling to make good on promises to fight corruption and revive the economy the a.n.c. has won every election since the country emerged from white minority rule twenty five years ago this year is expected to be no different with one important exception the agency's margin of victory may be the smallest in its history this time around. well we sent our very own christine to south africa to find out what issues matter most to voters. so i'm outside a polling station in so way to about four thousand people are expected to vote here today and these are some of the the early risers that you're seeing behind me a few people of course the folks have told us oh process takes about ten minutes

once you're actually inside the classrooms where the voting is taking place a lot at stake in this election and of course these are the people who are going to be deciding south africa's future want to have a chat to tending to hear she's in the queue waiting their turn she's actually very close to the cue so says time data what are you hoping you'll vote would do if it wins this election what would you like to see them do for you saving device three please let's go to all this especially local clinics local public schools. around the areas mostly in seoul with the latest lead as fights crime stalwarts or as the whole south africa as a whole has a problem with criminals hi jake king and all those things too once it gets a country as the whole please whoever that is going to really make a change make south africa south africa political there are forty eight parties on the ballot paper that's almost double the amount that was in the last election so

a lot for south africans just one but it really comes down to the three main parties in this election that will be the african national congress this is the a.n.c. the party that has led south africa in the twenty five years post democracy you have the economic freedom fighters arena to have a new play on the scene but has gained a lot of traction in the few years that they've been on the seabed you've got the democratic alliance a lot is at stake in this election the two big parties being the agency and the da are expected to have snoozed votes and not even grow the only party that people are really confident about the fact that they will grow in support is the economic freedom fighters a lot is at stake particularly for the african national congress the a.n.c. the message it's been wanting to see. i do believe is that it's still relevant to south africa and to take south africa to the future twenty five he has ensued democracy. all right christine joins me from johannesburg she's moved from so whether johannesburg good evening do you agree is do you were going so whether as we saw there earlier today and we know that's where there is considered the cradle

of the anti-apartheid movement. to voters there today that's right brained i mean we're talking about the place that's home to the likes of nelson mandela and desmond tutu the landmark study that in some way told the churches they were told black people congregated and prostitutes how they would overthrow a price of regime that was the apartheid government this is the place where so much of this struggle as you say history is is in and when we were at the polling station this morning i met a lot of old men and women these are the people who would have remembered voting twenty five years ago in these very pays it was the first time they were voting in a democratic pope but they were as we stand today twenty five years post of pottage a lot of people have been recalling that nine hundred ninety four election of opposed to the president of the a.n.c. and self saying he feels exactly how he fellas in one thousand nine hundred four so

certainly so which a very important place very symbolic and there is the sense in this country print that things are changing perhaps the.