European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday stressed the "need for de-escalation" after former commander of Iran's Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad early Friday.
After meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels, Borrell tweeted: "Spoke w Iranian FM @JZarif about recent developments. Underlined need for de-escalation of tensions, to exercise restraint & avoid further escalation."
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US President Donald Trump, who ordered the precision drone strike that took out Soleimani, said the military mastermind had been planning an "imminent" attack on US diplomats and the roughly 5,200 American troops deployed in Baghdad.
Borrell said he also urged Zarif to maintain the 2015 JCPOA nuclear accord negotiated in 2015 between Iran and the UN Security Council permanent members – Britain, France, China, Russia, and the United States – as well as Germany.
The deal offered Tehran relief from economic sanctions in return for measures that would prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The deal has been at risk of falling apart since Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
"Also discussed importance of preserving #JCPOA, which remains crucial for global security. I am committed to role as coordinator," Borrell said.
A furious Iran has vowed revenge for the killing of Soleimani, the chief architect of its military operations across the Middle East.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas echoed Borrell's message of de-escalation on Saturday, saying Germany would seek direct talks with Iran to try to defuse tensions following Soleimani's assassination.
"In the coming days, we will do all we can to counteract a further escalation of the situation – in the United Nations, the EU and in dialogue with our partners in the region, including in talks with Iran," Maas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
Maas told the paper he was in close contact with his British and French counterparts, with Borrell, and with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Chancellor Angela Merkel's protégé and would-be successor, said in a statement that it was up to Iran's leaders to make sure that the conflict in the region did not escalate further.
Kramp-Karrenbauer noted that the United States had acted alone, but added that Soleimani was responsible for exporting terror and violence, resulting in many deaths.
"Iraq cannot be allowed to sink into chaos, and certainly not under the control of extremists. Therefore, it is important not to let up now in the fight against Islamic State," Kramp-Karrenbauer said.
Parts of this article were originally published by i24NEWS.
