EU top diplomats to meet Iranian counterpart to salvage nuclear deal

BRUSSELS - European Union(EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will host a meeting with foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Iran in Brussels next Tuesday, in the wake of Washington's decision to back out of the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

The European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's foreign service, said in a press release on Friday that Mogherini will host the "EU/E3 meeting" before the same group meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The EEAS didn't give further detail on the meetings.

In a live press statement in Rome on Tuesday, Mogherini slammed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ditch the deal, vowing that "the EU is determined to preserve it."

"To the Iranian people I say: do not let anyone dismantle this deal, one of the greatest achievements of the international community," she said.

Governments of EU heavyweights Britain, France, and Germany also lashed out at Washington's withdrawal from the accord. In a joint statement on Tuesday, the three countries expressed "regret and concern" over the decision and urged Iran to "show restraint" in its response.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has signaled his country's readiness to remain in the nuclear deal if a consensus is reached, though he raised the possibility of restarting enriching uranium once talks fail.

Trump announced in a televised speech on Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark agreement signed in 2015. The move has sparked a barrage of criticism among the international community.