French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned of the danger as EU foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting in Brussels to try to salvage the nuclear deal.

"If they continue with unravelling the Vienna agreement, then yes, within a fairly short period of time, between one and two years, they could have access to a nuclear weapon, which is not an option", Le Drian said on RTL radio.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the Iran nuclear deal is formally called, was adopted in Vienna in 2015 signed by Iran and the P5 + 1 (five UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany). US President Donald Trump officially withdrew from the agreement in May 2018.