The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, defended the crumbling Iran nuclear deal on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Europe to quit it, but warned Tehran against “irreversible acts” that would sink the accord.
The President of the European Council used a call with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani to call for a de-escalation of tensions after Tehran carried out missile strikes on U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of one of its top Generals.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump calmed fears of all-out war, but demanded that other parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal follow his lead and withdraw from the pact.
The European parties — Britain, France and Germany — have led efforts to save the deal, which has been crumbling since Mr. Trump pulled out in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, and Mr. Michel insisted that it remained vital.
“The JCPOA agreement was an important achievement after 10 years of negotiations and remains an important tool for regional stability,” Mr. Michel’s office said in its readout of his call with Mr. Rouhani, adding that Mr. Michel had insisted that “the EU has its own interests and its vision” — implicitly distancing EU capitals from Washington.
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