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MUNICH—European officials brushed off U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s calls during a diplomatic trip to the continent this week to ratchet up pressure on Iran, saying they will continue defending the 2015 nuclear deal and stay engaged with Iran’s government.At the annual Munich Security Conference over the weekend, where world leaders gather to debate issues from the Middle East to trade, senior European officials met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Mr. Zarif on Sunday blasted what he called Mr. Pence’s arrogant demands on European soil for Europeans to pull out of the deal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel set out a starkly different vision from the vice president, urging greater European and multilateral cooperation and raising questions about recent U.S. decisions like the planned drawdown of troops from Syria. She lamented the split between the U.S. and Europe on Iran and raised common European and U.S. worries about Iran’s role in Syria and Yemen and its missile program.
Speaking after Ms. Merkel, Mr. Pence echoed comments he made earlier at a Polish-U.S. conference in Warsaw, saying “the time has come for our European partners to stop undermining U.S. sanctions” on Iran. “The time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.”
Privately, some Western officials said Mr. Pence’s remarks could weaken Washington’s efforts to draw a line under differences over the 2015 deal and tighten coordination on shared U.S.-European concerns about Iran’s behavior.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, following his meeting with Mr. Zarif, that Europe needs “a constructive dialogue with Iran” on Syria and Yemen.
On Friday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the Iranian nuclear deal, which saw Iran accept strict but temporary demands on its nuclear activities, was “fundamental and crucial for our security.” READ MORE
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