EU chief defends Iran deal

BRUSSELS: EU chief Charles Michel defended the crumbling Iran nuclear deal on Thursday after US 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 US military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of one of its top generals.

A White House statement from Trump calmed fears of all-out war erupting, but the US leader demanded that the 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 Trump pulled out in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, and Michel insisted it remained vital.

"The JCPOA agreement was an important achievement after 10 years of intense international negotiations and remains an important tool for regional stability," Michel’s office said in its readout of his call with Rouhani.

The statement said Michel had insisted "the EU has its own interests and its vision" -- implicitly distancing EU capitals from Washington. But Michel, who heads the European Council grouping the 28 member states, also told Rouhani that Iran must "avoid posing irreversible acts".

The warning follows Tehran’s announcement of its latest step back from commitments under the 2015 deal, which saw it granted sanctions relief in return for curbs on its atomic programme.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday to end confrontation with the United States and underlined Britain’s commitments to Tehran’s nuclear agreement, Downing Street said.

Johnson "called for an end to hostilities" and said Britain viewed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers as "the best arrangement currently available to deliver on our goal of stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon", his spokesman said.

In a 20-minute call, Downing Street said Johnson wanted to "deliver the clear message" to Iran that "there is an urgent need for de-escalation."

Late on Sunday Iran announced a further rollback to its commitment to the troubled nuclear accord amid anger in the Islamic republic over the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last week in a drone strike.

Rouhani told Johnson during the phone call that all the steps Iran has taken in reaction to the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal in May 2018 are reversible, the Iranian president’s office said in a statement.

Iran is willing to fully restore its nuclear commitments if the European parties to the agreement "go back to their (own) commitments" and help Tehran circumvent US sanctions, which were imposed by Washington in the wake of its withdrawal.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said "the time has come" for Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China to follow Washington’s lead and abandon the existing nuclear agreement, which sets limits on Iran’s enrichment levels.

Rouhani insisted that Iran’s strikes on Iraqi bases used by US troops in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing were an act of "legitimate defence". His office also said he asked Johnson to "reconsider" his position towards Soleimani, whose death the British prime minister said he did not regret.

"Without the efforts of the martyr Soleimani, you certainly would not be enjoying tranquility in London," Rouhani said, in reference to Soleimani’s battle against the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria.