Iran: EU has failed to salvage 2015 nuclear deal

France, Britain and Germany are trying to defuse the mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) speaks with ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi in the capital Tehran on June 10, 2019.  / AFP / ATTA KENARE
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Iran criticised the European signatories of its 2015 nuclear deal on Monday for failing to salvage the pact, state television reported.

President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal last year and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

He condemned the accord, signed by his predecessor Barack Obama, as flawed for not being permanent and not covering Iran's ballistic missile programme or its role in conflicts around the Middle East.

The European signatories to the deal – France, Britain and Germany – have been trying to save it but share the same concerns as the United States over Iran's ballistic missile development and regional activities.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived in Iran on Sunday as part of a concerted European effort to preserve the pact and defuse the mounting tension between Tehran and Washington.

"So far, we have not seen practical and tangible steps from the Europeans to guarantee Iran's interests ... Tehran will not discuss any issue beyond the nuclear deal," said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.

"The EU is not in a position to question Iran's issues beyond the nuclear deal.".