German FM vows to assist Iran's economy if it adheres to nuclear deal

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says Berlin is prepared to help Iran improve its economy and business ties while Tehran remains committed to a landmark nuclear agreement it signed with major powers in 2015.

"We will continue to make efforts to fulfill Iran's hopes for economic recovery and good trade relations as long as Iran is ready and able to prove that it adheres to its obligations under the nuclear deal," Maas said on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin three weeks after the United States pulled out from the landmark nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Since the US president pulled Washington out of the historic nuclear deal, other signatories, including Germany, have been scrambling to ensure that Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, the European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc is determined to save the JCPOA despite the United States' move to withdraw from the deal.

PressTV-EU resolved to save JCPOA after US exit: Mogherini

The European Union's foreign policy chief says the bloc is determined to save the Iran nuclear agreement.

She added, "You know that we have been acting already at European Union level to put in place a set of measures to make sure that the nuclear agreement is preserved and the economic investments from the European side, but also from other sides in the world are protected."

German EU Affairs Minister Michael Roth also said on Monday Iran's commitment to the JCPOA was "indispensable" and pledged that the EU would "support Iran financially and economically on the basis of the agreement."

"Today, we have to send out a clear signal that the European Union is standing behind the nuclear deal. It is in our most personal security interest that this deal has a future," Roth added.

In a meeting with US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Wednesday, the German foreign minister said Europe is still “very, very united” on continuing to support the Iran nuclear deal.

PressTV-Europe united on preserving Iran deal: Germany to US

Germany says that Europe is still “very, very united” on continuing to support Iran's nuclear deal.

He said, “Europe is very, very united in its position on the nuclear accord with Iran, and that will not change... We don’t want a proliferation of nuclear weapons in our expanded neighborhood."

Read more:

• Germany, France resolute on Iran nuclear deal preservation
• Russia, Germany remain committed to Iran nuclear deal: Kremlin
• Iran warns will stop negotiations if Europe wastes time
• US unilateral sanctions on Iran harmful: Russia's Putin

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk