Berlin refuses to join US pressure policy against Iran

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Wednesday dismissed U.S. calls for joining its controversial “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran to force Tehran to return to the negotiation table.

Speaking at a regular weekly news conference, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said: "Yes, I think you are aware that we have different views with the U.S. administration on Iran."

"We don't share the policy approach of maximum pressure and keep working, for example, to preserve the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) and to persuade Iran to return to its obligations. That is our approach and this has also not changed in the last few days," Breul said.

He was responding to remarks by U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brian in which he called on Berlin to join Washington's “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran.

O'Brian urged Germany to impose "comprehensive sanctions" against Iran to get Tehran back to the negotiation table to talk about a number of issues, including its nuclear program, missile technology, human rights record and what Washington views Iran's "malign" regional influence.

Iran started to cut its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal in a retaliatory move following the U.S.’s unilateral decision to withdraw from the agreement between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and the European Union.

The U.S. has since embarked on a diplomatic and economic campaign to ramp up pressure on Iran to force it to renegotiate the agreement.

The deal allows Iran to reduce its commitments in case of other parties' breaches. Tehran says the EU must be more active in implementing its part of the obligations, saying it will return to full compliance with the deal once the EU has nullified the U.S. sanctions.