EU wants to keep Iran deal alive: Top diplomat

ANKARA

The EU remains intent on preserving the Iran nuclear deal, the bloc's top diplomat said Tuesday.

Speaking at an event organized by the European External Action Service (EEAS), EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Nov. 27 was a "criminal act."

"This is not the way you're solving problems," he asserted, underlining that the EU had been working throughout the year to keep the Iran nuclear deal in effect "in spite of the American withdrawal."

Fakhrizadeh, who headed research and innovation at Iran's Defense Ministry, was assassinated near Tehran on Friday.

Iran's president on Saturday joined other top officials in accusing Israel of killing the country's top nuclear scientist, an incident fanning the flames of tension in the region.

"The Europeans have remained united on keeping this deal alive," Borrell added.

Borrell said the EU hopes to bring the US and Iran back into the deal and expects Tehran to return to full compliance with its nuclear responsibilities.

"We will do whatever we can in order to make this deal be a security provider for the whole region."

The deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany, and the EU.

Washington unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018.

Following a dramatic surge of confrontations between Iran and the US early this year, Iran also announced it would stop complying with the deal.