The European Union remains committed to the international nuclear agreement with Iran. According to the EU, it is important to prevent the 2015 agreement, from which the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018, from being completely lost.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday after ministerial talks in Brussels that Iran must adhere to the commitments. Tehran announced on Sunday that it would scrap agreements regarding uranium enrichment. President Donald Trump responded by imposing new economic sanctions on the country.
The EU countries are willing to continue the international agreements but also call on Iran to stop pushing the limits of the deal further, according to Dutch Minister Stef Blok. According to him, the European Union holds a different view on this matter than Washington.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called the treaty an important success after 10 years of international negotiations and added that “it remains an important instrument for regional stability.” Michel, who phoned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said that the EU supports de-escalation of tensions.
Additionally, the European Commission emphasizes the utmost importance of an independent and credible investigation into the plane crash on Wednesday near Tehran. According to the EU, the investigation must comply with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Commission called immediately for an independent investigation following the news of the crash of the Ukrainian plane. All 176 people on board the Boeing 737-800 of a Ukrainian airline died in the disaster.
According to recent reports, Iranian officials would have admitted that the Iranian military shot down the plane 'by mistake.' In the tensions following the U.S. missile strike on the Iranian general in Iraq, air defense reportedly considered the aircraft hostile. Others dispute that Iranian 'admission.'
The United Kingdom and Canada said on Thursday they have intelligence showing the plane was shot down by a missile. There is also video footage purportedly showing a projectile hitting the plane.