EU Council Chief urges Iran to comply with nuclear deal

The European Council president says he has spoken to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and urged Tehran to comply with the landmark nuclear deal it clinched with major world powers in 2015.

In a tweet on Thursday, Charles Michel, who coordinates EU government positions in Brussels, described the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as key to global security.

"Just spoke with @HassanRouhani about recent developments. JCPOA remains crucial for global security. I called Iran not to pose irreversible acts," he tweeted.

Michel’s remarks came after Tehran announced in a statement on Sunday that from now on, the country will observe no operational limitations on its nuclear industry, including with regard to the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the amount of enriched materials as well as research and development.

Iran’s latest nuclear announcement coincided with a major escalation of tensions with Washington after the US assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in a drone strike in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad early on Friday.

Iran has criticized the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- for failing to salvage the pact by shielding Tehran’s economy from US sanctions.

SS