In the nuclear dispute with Iran, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas appealed to the responsibility of all involved. "All must now act responsibly, otherwise there is a risk that we miss the exit to a peaceful conflict resolution," the SPD politician told the newspapers of Funke media group.
Iran has commissioned more powerful centrifuges for faster and more effective uranium enrichment. The leadership in Tehran thus violates another agreement from the 2015 Vienna Atomic Energy Agreement. The degree of enrichment is central to the agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Maas told the spark newspapers that it would be "the completely wrong signal if Iran no longer wants to comply with further obligations under the Vienna Agreement." Tehran should return "to full compliance" of the nuclear agreement. It is still possible to find a solution, but "we Europeans can not do that alone, while the others play poker more and more".
Iran was promised in the nuclear deal in return to normalize economic relations. However, the United States stepped out of the agreement unilaterally in May 2018. The US government has since relied on a policy of "maximum pressure" to force the Tehran leadership to negotiate a new deal with stricter conditions.
The mood is also fueled by the conflict over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is threatened with obstruction of the section of the Persian Gulf, which is important for the oil trade. Some of the crew of the British tanker "Stena Impero" is still being held by Iran.
The European contractors France, Great Britain and Germany want to find a way how to circumvent US sanctions in trade with Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron launched a new diplomatic initiative at the G7 summit in Biarritz at the end of August.