During a visit to Vienna, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated that Tehran will remain in the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as long as its interests are guaranteed by other signatories.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Rouhani said on July 4 that the Unites States’ withdrawal from the agreement two months ago was "illegal."
"Not the United States, not any other country would benefit from this decision to withdraw from the accord," he also said.
Rouhani, accompanied by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, is holding talks with Austrian leaders in Vienna after a stop in Switzerland.
On July 6, the foreign ministers of Iran and the five world powers still party to the nuclear deal -- Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- will meet in the Austrian capital to discuss ways to preserve it in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal.
“The meeting has been called with the intention of agreeing the way forward to ensure the continued implementation” of the accord, said the office of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who will chair the gathering.
Before leaving Tehran for his European tour, Rouhani said on July 2 that he expects European nations to unveil “in coming days” a package of measures aimed at preserving the accord, according to the state-run Mehr news agency.
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in May and moved to reinstate economic sanctions against Tehran. U.S. officials also warned that other nations would face sanctions unless they stopped doing business with Iran.
The other parties to the agreement said they remain committed to the deal so long as Iran is honoring it.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa