Germany has launched a campaign lobbying European allies to agree to new sanctions against Iran in an attempt to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from terminating the 2015 international deal that aims to curb Iran's nuclear program, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday.
The report quoted diplomats in Brussels as saying that Germany, together with Britain and France, is pushing for new sanctions to show the United States that European allies are taking Trump's criticism against Iran seriously.
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman and a government spokesman both declined to comment on the report.
Germany wants to punish Iran for its ballistic missile program and for meddling in conflicts in other Middle East countries, such as the wars in Yemen and Syria, the report said.
Above all, the aim of the Europeans is to prevent the United States from terminating the nuclear agreement sealed in 2015, as repeatedly threatened by Trump, Der Spiegel reported.
Iran said last week it would retaliate against new sanctions imposed by Washington after Trump set an ultimatum to correct "disastrous flaws" in the 2015 deal, which provided Iran with sanction relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear efforts.
Trump has said he would waive nuclear sanctions on Iran for the last time to give the United States and European allies a final chance to amend the pact. Washington also imposed sanctions on the head of Iran's judiciary and others.
