German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on May 11 that the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal undermines confidence in the global order.
Merkel said the deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions was far from perfect, but stressed it should not be "unilaterally terminated" since it had been approved by the UN Security Council.
U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime critic of the 2015 accord, announced on May 8 that the United States was pulling out, citing what he said were major flaws.
The deal was brokered after nearly 20 months of negotiation between Iran and the United States, Germany, Britain, China, Russia and France, as well as the European Union.
Merkel also spoke by telephone on May 11 with Russian President Vladimir Putin with efforts to preserve the deal the main topic of discussion, according to both Berlin and Moscow.
Their telephone conversation comes a day after German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov agreed the deal should remain in force during talks in Moscow.
Meanwhile, the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, is due to host a meeting of the German, French, and British foreign ministers on May 15 in Brussels to discuss the accord.
In a statement on May 11, the EU said Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also due to join the talks.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, and AFP
