EU regrets Iran nuclear moves but hopes to keep deal alive

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union expressed regret on Monday over Iran’s announcement that it will no longer be bound by all its nuclear obligations, but remains determined to keep alive an international deal preventing the Islamic Republic from developing atomic weapons.

The 2015 nuclear agreement has been on life support since President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned it last year, triggering sanctions that have hurt Iran’s moribund economy. Since then, Tehran has gradually rolled back its commitment to the deal.

After its top general was assassinated in a U.S. drone attack, Iran announced over the weekend that it would no longer respect limits set on how many centrifuges it can use to enrich uranium. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the move was a “remedial step” taken within the framework of the nuclear deal and he said it could be reversed.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed “deep regret” at the news. He tweeted that full implementation of the nuclear deal by all parties “is now more important than ever, for regional stability and global security.”

The EU supervises the deal under which Tehran limits its nuclear ambitions in exchange for economic incentives, but it relies on the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog to monitor whether Iran is complying, as it has continued to do so far despite its belligerent rhetoric.

“We have to rely on, and see, what the International Atomic Energy Agency says about the deeds on the ground,” Borrell’s spokesman, Peter Stano, told reporters.

Iran’s announcement and the U.S. killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity in Europe. Borrell has invited Zarif to Brussels, and Germany — a signatory of the deal — is calling for an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers this week to address...