German FM in Tehran to ‘Save Iran’s Nuclear Deal’

By Staff, Agencies

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived in the Iranian capital on Sunday night in a trip which was expected to be focused on saving the Iran nuclear deal and easing the Iran-US tensions, but the European diplomat apparently seeks to use it for pressuring Tehran into giving up its missile defense program.

While in Tehran, earlier reports said, Maas was supposed to hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday, as part of "a concerted European effort to preserve the Iran nuclear pact with world powers and defuse rising US-Iranian tensions."

Maas warned during a weekend stopover in Iraq en route to Tehran about the dangers of any conflict with Iran for the entire Middle East, and said the Europeans were convinced it was worth trying to keep the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Tensions continued to rise in the Middle East after Washington left a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and re-imposed unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Washington further intensified tensions after it decided to build up its military presence in the Gulf region, when it dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber task force, and an amphibious assault ship to the Gulf, citing an alleged Iranian threat.

Iran, for its part, stresses that it poses no threat to anyone but would defend itself against any aggression.

Zarif said on Sunday that Maas's trip will be focused on saving the Iran nuclear deal, and that his visit showed Germany was trying to "keep the [nuclear deal] alive". But, suggesting Iran did not view Maas as a mediator with Washington, he added, "It is unlikely that the German foreign minister is travelling to Tehran to carry a special message.”