BERLIN (AFP) — Germany on Friday joined Britain and France in saying it wants to save the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, rejecting President Donald Trump’s plea for Europeans to quit the hard-won pact.
"Our goal is still to save the agreement because we remain convinced that it's the right instrument to prevent Iran from possible nuclear armament," foreign ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said in Berlin.
His comments echoed those by Britain and France, who have also stressed their continued commitment to the deal.
Trump on Wednesday pulled back from the brink of war with Iran, but said "the time had come" for fellow signatories to "break away from the remnants" of the nuclear accord.
"We want to use all the possibilities offered by the (deal) to move toward a diplomatic solution," Breul told reporters.
He urged Tehran "to return its commitments" under the 2015 agreement struck with the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China.
The deal has been unraveling since Trump withdrew the United States from the pact in 2018.
After the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran, Tehran started breaching some aspects of the accord and on Sunday announced it no longer felt compelled to stick to any limits for making the enriched uranium needed for nuclear power.
The European signatories must decide in coming days whether to take action against Tehran for reneging on its commitments which could lead to renewed UN sanctions.
France on Thursday said it remained "committed to the framework of the Vienna Iran nuclear accord."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deal remained "the best arrangement currently available."
© Agence France-Presse
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