TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said his country was ready to hold talks if Washington lifted sanctions, while France, Germany and Britain called for an end to escalating tensions and resuming dialogue on Iran's nuclear program.
In a joint statement issued by the French presidency, France, Germany and Britain said yesterday, "We are concerned about the danger of undermining the agreement under the pressure of sanctions imposed by the United States and after Iran's decision not to implement many of the central clauses of the agreement."
The three European countries said they were "deeply concerned about the attacks and the deterioration of security in the region and believed that the time had come to act responsibly and to seek ways to stop the escalation of tension and resume dialogue."
"As we continue to support the nuclear agreement, its continuation will depend on Iran's full compliance with its obligations," she said, pointing out that "all parties must issue good faith signals."
For his part, the Iranian president said in a televised speech yesterday that his country is ready to hold talks with the United States if sanctions are lifted and returned to the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015, which Washington withdrew from last year.
Rohani's statement came after the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that there were currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington at any level.
Last year, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal and imposed a package of economic sanctions on Iran. Iran recently announced a reduction in its obligations under the agreement to pressure other countries, including parties, to act to ensure economic benefits. Stipulated in the agreement in favor of Iran.
In a related context, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Laudriane described Iran's violation of uranium enrichment restrictions after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal between the international powers and Tehran as "a bad reaction to a bad decision and raises fears."
Tensions have risen as Washington accuses Iran of several attacks on oil tankers, as well as dropping a US-trained reconnaissance plane, which prompted Trump to order air strikes before retreating from its decision at the last moment before the attack began.
"The situation is serious, the escalation of tensions could lead to accidents. Iran's decision to drop some of its nuclear proliferation obligations is another concern. It is a bad decision and a bad reaction to another bad decision - the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal a year ago," he told reporters.
"I noticed that everyone says they do not want to reach the top of the escalation, but there are some elements of escalation that raise concern."
Leaked diplomatic documents published by The Mail on Sunday revealed that former British ambassador to Washington Kim Daroush believes Trump has withdrawn from the nuclear deal because he is linked to his predecessor Barack Obama.