Unlike the UK, France and Germany -- the three European signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- Russia and China have taken real steps to save the agreement after US President Donald Trump’s pullout, according to American analyst Stephen Lendman.

Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA,) which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic, pledging to punish European companies that breach them.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

In separate letters to his counterparts in various countries on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that the nuclear accord is to continue to stand, the remaining parties and other trade partners must give assurances to Iran that they would make up for the US withdrawal without any conditions and through national, regional and international measures.

“With Trump pulled out, the EU countries want the deal maintained, so does China, so does Russia,” Lendman, a Chicago-based author and radio host, told Press TV on Sunday.

The difference, he said, is that Russia and China have taken practical steps towards saving the JCPOA and continuing trade deals with Iran.

“But what Britain Germany and France will do is another story entirely,” Lendman said. “Verbally, they have said they will continue maintaining the deal… but I haven’t seen them do anything along these lines.”