Iran official calls on EU to ‘act independently’ of US

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has called on the European Union to act “more independently” of the U.S., Iranian state media has reported.

Larijani, who on Monday received former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Tehran, said he “highly values” the burgeoning economic cooperation seen between Iran and the EU in recent months.

According to Iran’s ICANA news agency, Larijani went on to criticize the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, especially in regard to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.

“The current situation may pose problems for global security -- not only for Iran but also for the EU,” Larijani said.

“And these problems will only persist if the EU fails to act independently [of the U.S.],” he added.

Tension between Washington and Tehran has mounted steadily since May, when Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the landmark nuclear deal, signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).

Gabriel, for his part, voiced the EU’s objections to U.S. policy choices, reiterating the commitment of both Germany and France to the 2015 nuclear deal.

“We understand that Iran’s patience regarding the nuclear deal is not without limits,” Gabriel said.