Several nations express deep concern at Iranian nuclear threat

TEHRAN, Iran — Nations around the world are expressing “great concern” at Iran’s threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium, and calling for further escalation to be avoided.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday that “we have learned of Iran’s announcement with great concern and we will look at this very closely now.”

He said Berlin wants to hold on to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from last year, and is in talks with the remaining parties.

Maas added that “all steps must be avoided that could endanger regional stability and security.”

France’s defense minister has voiced deep concern over Iran’s threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium, saying that the question of sanctions “will be raised” if the nuclear deal isn’t respected.

Florence Parly has told BFMTV that “nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.”

Iran has threatened to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from a year ago. President Hassan Rouhani also said that Iran would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water from its nuclear program — two requirements of the deal.

Parly said that “we (Europeans) absolutely want to keep this agreement alive.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States is to blame for Iran’s decision to partially withdraw from the landmark 2015 accord.

Lavrov has met with Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow and reaffirmed their support for the deal, and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.

The Russian foreign minister says “the U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and … for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime.”

Lavrov said that the ministers agreed to continue working with all remaining signatories to the deal to ensure obligations are honored even if the U.S. won’t return to the table

Zarif insisted that Iran’s decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.

He also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.

China says the U.S. has “further aggravated” tensions over the Iran nuclear issue.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Wednesday that China appreciated Iran’s “strict implementation” of its nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from a year ago.

Geng said China “calls on all parties concerned to exercise restraint” and avoid escalating tensions.

Geng’s comments came after Washington moved to deploy an aircraft carrier and a bomber wing to confront unspecified threats from Tehran.

Iran threatened Wednesday to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for the 2015 deal.

A key Iranian ally and trading partner, China was a signatory to the deal and continues to support it, along with Britain, Russia, the European Union, France and Germany.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responding to Iran’s decision to withdraw partially from the nuclear deal with world powers.

Netanyahu spoke Wednesday at a state Memorial Day ceremony in Jerusalem and said Israel would “not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”

Israel’s prime minister has been an outspoken critic of the agreement between Iran and world powers, and welcomed President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the deal last year. Netanyahu considers Iran to be Israel’s greatest threat, and Iranian leaders frequently condemn Israel and call for its destruction.

Netanyahu says Israel “will continue to fight those who seek to take our lives, and we will thrust our roots even deeper into the soil of our homeland.”

Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its atomic program is for entirely peaceful purposes.

Iranian state television says letters outlining the Islamic Republic’s partial withdrawal from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers have been delivered to ambassadors.

State TV made the announcement Wednesday. It did not elaborate on what steps Iran planned to take.

The letters were to be delivered to the leaders of Britain, China, the European Union, France and Germany. All were signatories to the nuclear deal, which saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. A letter was also to go to Russia.

The move came a year to the date Trump withdrew America from the accord.

The letters will come as officials in the Islamic Republic previously warned that Iran might increase its uranium enrichment, potentially pulling away from a deal it has sought to salvage for months.